The Upper West Regional Police Command says it has picked signals that groups of illegal miners from the southern part of the country have relocated to the Upper West Region following the clampdown on their activities in the south.

He said the regional police command had mounted strong vigilance to counter the upsurge in illegal mining in the region.

The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr Kwadwo Boapeah Otchere, said the regional command had mounted surveillance around the Black Volta in the Wa West, Wa East and Sissala East districts where the illegal miners were believed to have relocated to.

“Their activities are being monitored after the regional police command destroyed their chanfan machines, water pumping machines, shovels and other equipment used in their operations,” he told the media in Wa.

Mr Boapeah Otchere mentioned that four Burkinabe illegal miners had been arraigned before the High Court in Wa for engaging in the act on the Black Volta.

The four, who had been granted bail, were arrested during a routine police operation on some galamsey sites in the region, he added.

Police re-strategise

Speaking on other matters bordering on security in the region, the police commander said his outfit had increased patrols to contain the upsurge in robbery, especially around Sawla and Tannina, following the closure of the Buipe and Yapei bridges in the Northern Region to traffic.

The closure of those two bridges had compelled vehicles travelling from the south to the north and beyond to use the Wa route.

He said the command had also mounted new snap checkpoints in the Wa municipality, especially, as part of measures to increase security presence in the town.

According to him, the police had re-strategized to combat highway robberies, theft of motorbikes, residential burglaries, cattle rustling and galamsey activities in the region.

He asked the public to remain vigilant and alert the police to suspicious persons or activities to enable the command to deal with crime and potential crime timeously.

Clampdown

The government, through the anti-illegal mining squad, Operation Vanguard, has embarked on a clampdown on illegal mining across the country.

Operation Vanguard has maintained operations in the Central, Western, Eastern and Ashanti regions but is yet to visit the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions.