Hit the street if your concerns are not addressed in 2 months – WR Police Commander to Concerned Residents of Sekondi-Takoradi Demonstrators

• Posted on November 15, 2018November 15, 2018
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

“The Contractor, Asabea Construction has finished testing the quality of the bitumen and would resume work on the Effia Nkwanta – Fijai stretch today Thursday 15^th November, 2018. The Urban Roads Director has also assured us that in 2 weeks the traffic light issues would be addressed. So your main concerns for the demonstration are being addressed as we speak” DCOP Redeemer Vincent Dedjoe, the Western Regional Police Commander told leaders of Concerned Residents of Sekondi-Takoradi (CROST) group in a dialogue when the group met the Police to finalize proceedings of Friday 16^th November demonstration which is against deplorable roads and non-functioning traffic lights in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.

The Regional Commander who assured CROST of the authorities’ work on the issues raised said that “hit the street to demonstrate if your concerns are not addressed in 2 months. I can assure you that by ending of January 2019 all these concerns would have been addressed. If they are not addressed you can hit the street to demonstrate.”

Present at the meeting were Nana Kwesi Coomson, leader of CROST, Emmanuel Amppabeng and Richard Wolley, Organizers of the demonstration and the Regional Security Capos. The Secutiry Capos mentioned that the security threat of the demonstration would be more than anticipated. The Public Order Act 1994 (Act 491) gives the Police the power to ascertain the impacts of special events and as such could postpone it. The Act states that “(4) Where a Police Officer notified of a special event under subsection (1) has reasonable grounds to believe that the special event if held may lead to violence or endanger public defence, public order, public safety, public health or the running of essential services or violate the rights and freedoms of other persons, he may request the organisers to postpone the special event to any other date or to the relocate the special event.”

“If the deplorable roads and traffic lights are your concerns then I can assure you that there are works in place upon our investigations so don’t worry, if its not done in 2 months, you can hit the street” DCOP Dedjoe added.

“You can still go ahead and submit your petition to the Regional Minister but that should not be done in protest march to the office. It could be done by two or three leaders of this group. I can assure you that all your concerns in the petition would be addressed. You can still go ahead with presentation of your petition” DCOP Dedjoe agreed with leaders of CROST on this.

Author: Nana Kwesi Coomson (www.233times.net) @nkcoomson on Twitter/Instagram