The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Police Service in the Upper East Region, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) David Fianko Okyere has called on the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly to fix the street lighting system within the Municipality.
He said the malfunctioning street lights along major streets plunged the Municipality into darkness which affected their night patrols and created fertile grounds for criminals to operate.
The PRO said, “We entreat the Municipal Assembly to ensure that the street lights are fixed for us. It will help us in the fight against crime.”
It was observed that the street lights on the major highway, right from the Estate road towards Sumbrungu, and those around the Regional Hospital were usually off at night.
The situation was not different on the main road from the Municipality towards the Bolgatanga East District and along link roads in the township which plunged major portions of the Municipality into darkness.
Police Officers on night duties at check points on these roads risk in the dark as they stopped vehicles to inspect with their flash lights.
Apart from the street lighting system, some traffic lights, especially those at the Regional Hospital roundabout close to the offices of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and at the main Mobile Telecommunication Network (MTN) office in the Municipality are broken down.
The Police PRO described the poor street lighting system in the Municipality as unfortunate, adding that “We made an effort to get to the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly to fix the street lights, especially in the Estate area.”
He indicated, “Light is a security measure, criminals will not like to operate under light except in rare cases when they operate in broad daylight.”
When Mr Joseph Atuura Amiyuure, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, was contacted, he said the situation was of concern to the Assembly but “We lack the financial muscle to work on it”.
