The completed police station
Residents of Sumburungu, a suburb of the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region, are not happy that a completed police station has been locked for years.
According to the residents, the structure was completed in 2015 and expected that all fittings and other interior requirements would be done and handed over to the Ghana Police Service to start its operations.
Prior to 2015, Sumburungu, which is fast expanding due to the presence of the Bolgatanga Polytechnic and other businesses, had no police station to help combat the increasing crime rate in the area.
Assembly member for Amogrebisi Electoral Area under Sumburungu, Samuel Azure, in an interview, appealed to the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly to put the finishing touches and hand it over the Ghana Police Service.
He explained that the absence of police personnel in the area had created a situation where crimes were carried out frequently and these criminals got away with their actions unpunished, while residents lived in fear.
“In fact, sometimes criminals get away from the crime scene with impunity before police personnel arrive from the Bolgatanga Police Station,” he said.
Another assembly member representing Kolibia Electoral Area also under Sumburungu said a police station was high on the list of development needs of many residents and pleaded with the assembly to open and hand over the facility as soon as possible.
“There is no resident here that you will ask what he/she wants to see in the area who will not mention a police station. It is so dear to our hearts, because of the increasing crime rate,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, Joseph Atura Amiyuure, in a response, said in 2015 the structure was not fit for use but the assembly finally completed the extra work in 2017 making it ready for use.
According him, the only obstacle now is the absence of accommodation for the police personnel that will be posted to area, adding that the assembly is in talks with people in the area to get accommodation before the opening of the facility.
FROM: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Sumburungu