Thieves are taking advantage of the darkness resulting from the load shedding exercise to remove bulbs and electrical cables from the newly installed streetlights in the West Akim District.

The District Chief Executive, Mr. Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye said activities of the thieves have brought the recent street lighting project undertaken in some major towns of the district under threat.

Addressing the District Assembly at Asamankese, the DCE said the criminal acts have brought all the work and huge cost involved in the entire project to naught.

He said statistics received from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) indicated that over the past three years, thieves had stolen over 5,000 wires and 100 pieces of copper wire.

The DCE said recently, 15 transformer fuses were removed, all belonging to the ECG.

Mr Sintim-Aboagye therefore stressed the urgent need for the formation of neighbourhood watch committees in the communities.

“If we fail to do that, then all our electrical installations would be destroyed”, adding that the communities should be formed in collaboration with the police.

The DCE promised that the assembly would do all it could to support and equip the committees.

He said the rural electrification project in some parts of the district would take off officially in August.

Materials, including electric poles needed for the project, he said, were being sent to the beneficiary communities.

Mr Sintim-Abiagye therefore asked any beneficiary community that had not yet received its electrical poles to inform the assembly as soon as possible.

Source: GNA