By: Hafiz Timbile Adams
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wa West Constituency, Supt (rtd) Peter Lanchene Toobu has assured constituents and Ghanaians in general that the district is very secured and conducive for business activities.
According to the honourable MP, there is no reason for anyone to harbour fears of living in or going to the district as security in the area is tight and up to task. He said there is no notable insecurity issue in the district that warrants the fears being entertained by some people.
Mr. Toobu gave this assurance after a closed-door meeting with the Upper West Regional Police Command where he, together with the District Chief Executive, took stock of the security situation in the Wa West in the last three years and conveyed to the police some security concerns in the area that need their attention.
Following the fruitful engagement with the police, the former secretary to the Inspector General of Police stated that, “the insecurity of Wa West is not so outstanding as compared to other districts in the region.” He indicated that even though there is perception of insecurity in the area, the reality on the ground does not support that.
Hon Lanchene said a major concern giving the police “headache” in the area is “ethnic tensions”. He, however, gave assurance that steps are being taken to deescalate these ethnic tensions through “community engagement, collaboration with traditional leaders and elders with our various communities”.
Peter Lanchene urged constituents to stop generalizing crime as it is one way of fueling ethnic tensions. He stated that “crime is individualistic” and must be treated as such, rather than making it as a community or family affair. He said it cannot be right that all members of a community, tribe, or family are armed robbers simply because one of their children is an armed robber.
The lawmaker, while calling for more to be done, commended the police for their professionalism in handling security matters in the region and the Wa West district in particular. He said all criminal cases that has occurred in the district are still active cases with the criminals being tracked. The courts have also issued arrest warrants for the arrest of some of them, he added.
Mr. Toobu appealed to residents and communities to support the police by volunteering information that can help them gather intelligence to solve some of the crimes. He said the police cannot work without information, underscoring the importance of civilians in fighting insecurity. “Crime is no respecter of persons, so, we need to fight it together,” he noted.
Responding to demands by concerned youth of Lassia-Tuolu and surrounding communities for the police to release the bodies of two persons from the community that were murdered and a fair process in prosecuting the case, Peter Lanchene said there is good reason the bodies of the deceased are still not released. “The police are quite convinced that they are on the right track and I also believe that they are doing the best they can,” he stated.
While acknowledging the right of the youth to voice their displeasure at the pace of the process, he urged them to be calm and exercise patience, adding that “with what the police are doing, they will soon find results.
The MP concluded by thanking the chiefs and people of the Wa West district for their commitment to promoting peace in the area. He urged the traditional leaders to continue to support him to ensure peaceful coexistence for the development of the district.
