The Police Service say it is up to speed with activities of landguards in the country and are in the position to deal ruthlessly with them.

According to the police, though the means of protecting properties are laudable, the way and manner landguards go about their activities is unlawful as they cause loss of lives in the process.

Speaking to Joy News Tuesday, the Greater Accra police public relations officer (PRO), DSP Freeman Tettey said "all regional police commands within the country have been tasked to arrest the sponsors of landguards and ensure the disbandment of such guards with all the seriousness it deserves".

According to him, the landguards use all manner of offensive weapons to cause harm to people and make life unbearable to the affected people.

The Police is however, calling on the public to seek remedy on any piece of land in dispute at the relevant land management offices, such as Land Title Registry and Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL).

Additionally, DSP Tettey recommended that civil actions are taken to the law courts for redress, adding that in cases of trespassing of lands, which may be a criminal offence, complaints can be lodged with the Police for necessary action, instead of taking the law into their own hands.

The current action of the police followed public concerns about the activities of landguards in Accra as several people have been seriously injured or left dead over years of landguard activities.

Owning and developing landed property in Accra has become a risky venture with the continuing activities of heavily built men perceived to be dangerous, popularly called landguards, over the years, have injured, maimed and killed people in the pursuit of protecting properties.

In Accra , these landguards mostly operate in developing areas like Kuntunse, Ofankor, Asofan and Amasaman. 

In December 2013, a group of land guards shot and killed a-26-year-old worker of Sally properties, Sulley Amartey. The landguards were later arrested and prosecuted.

There was another incident a month later. A landowner at Kwabenya, Ayittey Okaija, had his hand chopped off by landguards as he attempted driving away some encroachers on his land.

 Just last week, over twenty landowners at Kuntunse petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over allegations that the CEO of KOANS Estates Limited, Kofi Anokye has for years, terrorized them with landguards.

Just last Saturday, one person died and three others left severely injured after a landguard shooting incident within the Adentan municipality.