ASSIST POLICE TO CONTROL ARMS (PAGE 35)

THE Upper West Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Alex Bedie, has appealed to arms and ammunition dealers in the region to assist the police to control their inflow into society.
In that regard, he urged them to make maximum use of the ammunition register by recording the particulars of persons purchasing those items and their quantity.
“This will go a long way in our attempt to face those who might have used the arms, ammunition or explosives for a different purpose against what they were intended for,” he stressed.
ACP Bedie made the appeal at a meeting with firearms dealers in the region in Wa, the regional capital.
According to him, the police would carry out unannounced visits to their stores to check whether they were making good use of the arms’ register.
He reminded them that anybody who purchased ammunitions should be a licence holder and warned that ammunition should not be sold to unauthorised persons.
The regional police commander said it was the intention of the police administration to reduce the supply and purchase of ammunition by controlling it to the barest minimum.
“Do not think only of the profits to be made but also take the effects of the illegal use of these weapons on our society into consideration,” he advised.
ACP Bedie urged the dealers to endeavour to do the right thing in order not to fall foul of the law, particularly those selling ammunitions illegally.
He said since the dealers belonged to an identifiable group, they would be in a better position to help control and supply of arms, adding “this is your contribution to assist other Ghanaians to fight crime”.
Responding, the leader of the ammunition dealers, Mr Bert Kofi Mumuni, gave the assurance that they would co-operate with the police to expose those who were engaged in illegal arms’ sale.
He stressed the need for such interactions regularly as they would go a long way to ensure that the right things were done.