According to Mr. Ambrose Dery, the Interior Minister, two platoons of the Formed Police Unit (FPU) would soon be dispatched to the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo Police District Command to bolster local law enforcement in the area.
This, he said would go a long way to help curb the increasing cases of robberies and other violent crimes in the North East Region and the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo area.
Mr Dery said this in response to a question by Dr Abed-Nego Azumah Bandim, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Bunkpurugu.
The MP asked the Minister what measures have been put in place to curb the increasing cases of armed robberies in the Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District.
The Minister said the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District Police Command was responsible for the Bunkpurugu-Nyankpanduri and Yunyoo-Nasuan Local Government Districts.
He said there were three Police Stations in two Districts with 49 Police personnel, which indicates that the Police to civilian ratio in the district was one Police to 2,842 civilians.
Mr Dery noted that this ratio was far below the United Nations requirement of a 1:500 Police civilians ratio.
He reiterated that this notwithstanding, the Police Administration had put in place measures to combat robberies and other violent crimes in the district.
The measures he mentioned included intelligence-led Policing, mounting Police Check Points at robbery-prone areas, and escort of commercial vehicles and market women to and from various markets.
Other measures included foot and vehicle patrols and organised swoops at criminal hideouts.
“Some newly passed out constables have been posted to augment the existing Police strengthen in the District to perform visibility duties,” he stated.