The Tanoso Police Commander in the Ahafo Region, ASP Edmond Adjei Kissi, has disclosed that illegal miners seized four AK-47 rifles from police officers during an operation at a galamsey site.
According to him, the incident highlights the serious security risks police officers face during operations to clamp down on illegal mining in the area.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, ASP Adjei Kissi said the officers were conducting an operation in Duayaw Nkwanta and Adroba when they were confronted by illegal miners, who managed to take the four rifles from the police.
He said the Regional Police Commander, upon being informed of the incident, immediately instructed the officers to return to the area and retrieve the weapons.
“We went for an operation in Duayaw Nkwanta, Adroba and illegal miners seized four AK-47s from us, and the regional commander instructed us to go and retrieve the weapons within five minutes,” he recalled.
The police commander said the incident has contributed to the cautious approach adopted by the police during some operations, particularly in areas where tensions are high.
He explained that during a more recent operation at a galamsey site, the police were unable to arrest any of the suspected illegal miners because of the security situation and intelligence available to them.
ASP Adjei Kissi said officers arrived at the site to retrieve mining tailings but initially found no one there. A man identified as Alhassan later arrived at the location.
He said the police decided not to make an arrest after assessing the prevailing tensions and potential security risks.
“We couldn’t arrest anyone due to the tensions, monitoring the situation and based on my security intelligence,” he said.
The Commander also addressed concerns over delays in taking some suspects to court, saying the traditional council had repeatedly asked when the cases would be heard.
He said the police had invited Alhassan, who told them that the traditional authorities were waiting for the chief to decide the way forward.
ASP Adjei Kissi said he could not speak to discussions that may have taken place afterwards, noting that the traditional council had not returned to the police station to follow up on the court proceedings.
His comments come amid growing tensions over the fight against illegal mining in the Tanoso area, with the traditional council accusing the police of failing to adequately support efforts to tackle the menace.
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