NPP communicator questions Police approach to anti-crime operations
Bugase calls for intelligence-led policing, warns against wrongful targeting in anti-drug operations
A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Team for the Chiana-Paga Constituency, Francis Bugase, has raised concerns about the operational approach of a special police unit popularly referred to as the “Black Maria” following recent anti-crime operations in Navrongo and Paga.
Speaking on the Big Mike Breakfast Show on Friday, May 29, Bugase acknowledged the importance of security operations aimed at combating crime and drug abuse in the area. However, he emphasized that such operations must be intelligence-led and carefully executed to ensure that innocent individuals are not wrongly targeted.
According to him, the special police unit operates independently and reports directly to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), rather than through the usual district, municipal, divisional, or regional police command structures.
“I got to understand that the Black Maria was in town and picked up people who were dealing in drugs, those using the drugs, and some other recalcitrant individuals,” he stated.
While expressing support for efforts to curb criminal activities and the proliferation of illicit drugs, Bugase noted that some residents have raised concerns about the manner in which certain arrests were carried out during the operations.
He argued that security interventions should be guided by credible intelligence and directed at individuals directly involved in criminal activities rather than creating fear among the wider public.
“When you critically assess what happened, it appeared more like a scene was created in the area of operation. The intelligence should have been targeted at those using, peddling, and distributing these drugs, as well as those engaged in criminal activities,” he said.
Bugase also criticized what he described as the stereotyping of young people with dreadlocks, cautioning against the assumption that appearance alone is an indicator of criminal behaviour.
“There is a perception in our communities that when a young person wears dreadlocks, people automatically assume that he is involved in drugs or criminal activities. That is not always the case,” he noted.
He further argued that law enforcement agencies would achieve more meaningful results by focusing their efforts on the major players and organizers behind the illicit drug trade rather than concentrating solely on users or low-level offenders.
Bugase maintained that the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking requires strategic intelligence gathering and a deliberate effort to dismantle the networks responsible for supplying and distributing illicit substances.
He called on security agencies to continue their efforts to maintain law and order while ensuring that operations are conducted professionally, fairly, and in a manner that upholds the rights and dignity of all citizens.
Mike 105.3 FM | Navrongo | David Adapuna
