The East Mamprusi District Police Headquarters and barracks at Gambaga, the district capital, are in very deplorable conditions,  a suitation that has forced the personnel to abandon some of the rooms.

Some parts of the headquarters building have developed major cracks, resulting in the concrete ceiling leaking whenever it rains.
A number of the louvre blades are also broken, while the paints on the walls have faded.

The sanitary facilities have also broken down, compelling the policemen to look for alternative places to attend to nature’s call.
The two junior staff barracks housing the personnel of the unit are an eyesore, as the doors windows and roofs of some of the rooms have been ripped off and the painting on the walls have succumbed to the vagaries of the weather.

Parts of the two barracks can no longer be inhabited.

According to the ’District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jose San:/c, the poor state of the barracks had made it difficult for the station to retain the required number of personnel needed in the area.

"Currently, there are only 21 policemen of the station residing in the barracks," he pointed out, adding that the unit needed more policemen but there was no place to accommodate them,

ASP Sanze stated that the Northern Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) A. Awuni, visited the district when he took office and promised to draw attention to the state of the headquarters to the Police Administration for immediate action.
"We hope that through the efforts of our regional commander and the help of the media, we will get assistance for the ’’sr.civation of these facilities." he stated.

In an interview, the East Mamprusi District Works Engineer, Mr Isaac Asare Addo, estimated that GH¢l00,000 would be needed to  rehabilitate the police barracks and the headquarters.

"The rehabilitation will involve work on the roofs, windows, electrical works, painting, walls and the sewerage systems.” he said.

The District Chief Executive (DCP), Mr Adam Imoro, bemoaned the state of the police headquarters and barracks, stressing that but for the huge cost of the renovation, his outfit would have gone ahead to rehabilitate the buildings.

’We hope to get some support from the central government or the development partners to enable us to put the buildings m shape," he stated.

He said the state of the headquarters affected the morale of the personnel, which in turn endangered the security of the area.

Mr Imoro said due to the state of the headquarters and barracks, other policemen would not want to be posted to the area and that would impact negatively on law enforcement and the maintenance of peace in the area.

Daily Graphic/DS

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