Sanitation Police in the Ashanti Region capital Kumasi have arrested four people for littering and open defecation.
The arrest, carried out in an operation Thursday morning, is part of city authorities’ efforts to clean the city and enforce the bylaws on sanitation.
The Sanitation Police will arraign the suspects before court and have them fined, authorities tell Joy News.
The suspects are Michael Amankwah, Francis Karikari, both 22 years, Gilbert Akolonya, 27 and Kofi Attah, 24.
Suspects
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) says more than 60 persons have been prosecuted in 2018.
Deputy Environmental Health Officer Edmund Komba says the punishment given to these people isn’t stiff enough and says KMA is in the process of restructuring the laws.
“We are refining the bylaws so we can charge more units,” he said.
He explained that the current provisions only permit the authorities to charge very low amounts which is no deterrent.
Edmund Komba
“…so now we are using the Public Health Act and the Criminal Offenders Act to charge sanitation offenders,” he said.
Mr Komba also has charged residents to assist the authorities to help the city clean by apprehending sanitation offenders.
According to him, the laws permit citizens to arrest anyone they see dumping refuse at an unapproved location or engaging in open defecation.