A former Community Policing Assistant (CPA) who was stationed at the Koforidua Central Police Station has been arrested by residents of Daasebere Estate in the New Juaben South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The former CPA, who was identified as Theophilus by police personnel, was rescued in the early hours of Tuesday after being caught trying to cut electricity service cables on a pole in the community.
A young man who was on his way to work raised an alarm after seeing the alleged thief up the pole. The alleged thief almost stabbed the young man with a knife, but the screams of the young man caught the attention of a security guard who joined in to apprehend him.
When Citi News arrived at the scene, the youth of the area had beaten the young man and tied him to the very pole he had climbed to cut off the wires.
Even though the suspect gave his name as Acheampong Emmanuel, a police patrol team which came around quickly identified him and called him by his real name, Theophilus, before taking him away.
Benjamin Appiah, the Assemblyman for the Old Estate West electoral area, spoke to Citi News about the recent activities of criminals in the area.
“Our main issue is the stealing of items in our community. It has been going on often, and when we catch them, we turn them into the police. We are trying to protect the community. This morning I was called that another thief had been caught and beaten, and was tied to a tree. We came and rescued him, so I called the police to assist me. This is about the 4th or 5th time a thief has come here to steal. We have about three or four girls here who have been wounded with knives by thieves after snatching their phones. I don’t like it when thieves are caught by residents and beaten,” he explained.
Meanwhile, some residents of the area who have been sharing some horrifying experiences with criminals have called on the Ghana Police Service to intensify their patrols day and night.
“We are appealing to the police to intensify patrols here,” they said.
Citi News can also confirm that two suspects who were arrested last week Friday by the Nyamekrom Community watchdog committee after breaking into a home in the area are at the intensive care unit of the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua receiving treatment.
The two suspects, who are part of a group of criminals operating with a motorcycle and terrorizing residents in the area, were arrested by the community watchdog committee who had laid an ambush.
The Assemblyman for Nyamekrom Electoral area, Nana Boaheng Enoch, who told Citi News that he has been targeted by the criminals, says the watchdog group will stop at nothing to get rid of criminals in their neighbourhood.
