The National Security apparatus in the Ashanti Region has begun joint patrols with the military along the expressway to prevent illegal sand winning and other security-related incidents.
Ashanti Regional Coordinator for National Security, Captain John Kwame Jabari disclosed that the patrols formed part of measures to detect and prevent unlawful activities along the stretch before they occur.
According to him, a directive was issued for the patrols to be commenced following the arrest of some 15 suspects engaged in illegal sand winning at Sewuah along the Expressway stretch.
“We have directives that we should conduct joint patrols with the military on that stretch of the expressway in the Ashanti Region, so we have started to conduct patrols on the expressway to ensure that this sort of incident does not happen again,” he said during an interview on TV3’s Daily Brief, Thursday, October 15.
He said the security agencies were also using informants within nearby communities to provide early warnings about suspicious activities and potential incidents.
Captain Jabari added that the patrols would enable security personnel to respond early to incidents and strengthen surveillance along the road.
The measures follow investigations into illegal sand winning on the expressway, which have uncovered the involvement of several trucks.
According to Captain Jabari, the activity appears to involve a wider network of truck drivers, with security agencies working to identify and arrest other suspects.
“Our intelligence and investigations reveal that there was a number of trucks which conducted that sand winning on the expressway, and plans are underway to pick up those other vehicles,” he said.
He stressed that the suspects were not limited to those already identified, describing the activity as a syndicate involving several truck drivers.
