The Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, has directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to immediately transfer all regional, divisional, and district police commanders stationed in mining areas.
According to the minister, the decision is aimed at replacing officers who have served in these areas for an extended period without effectively addressing illegal mining activities.
He emphasized that this directive forms part of stringent measures to clamp down on the menace.
Under the new policy, affected commanders will be reassigned to areas without mining activities, while their replacements will be given a three-month probationary period to prove their effectiveness in combating illegal mining or face a similar transfer.
Speaking during an engagement with Imams and Zongo Chiefs in Kumasi, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak reaffirmed his commitment to enforcing this directive despite mounting pressure on the IGP to reconsider.
“I have ordered the IGP to transfer all police commanders in all mining areas and send in new ones. So if you are a regional, divisional, and district police commander serving in mining areas, you will be changed with immediate effect.
“The new ones we are taking there will be transferred after three months if they don’t perform. We will keep making changes till we see results,” he stated.
The directive underscores the government’s resolve to strengthen law enforcement in the fight against illegal mining, which continues to pose a significant threat to Ghana’s environment and water resources