DESPITE a directive from the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Patrick Akyeampong, that artificial barriers erected by police should be removed, some barriers, such as the ones at Sang and Yendi still remain in operation.

A frustrated Regional Commander ACP Barakatu, who himself stands accused of collusion, told this reporter in an interview that he was dealing with a situation where some of the personnel are incorrigible. "No matter what instructions are given to the officers, some of them would definitely defy such orders and do their own thing," he revealed, adding, "These are the challenges I'm facing here in the Northern Region."

On the substantive issue of taking money from the truck drivers, the situation has seen a slight improvement as drivers are now enjoying a huge discount in the quantum of money taken from them.

Police personnel at all these barriers, including those in the North, still take monies from the dealers, but this time, the quantum has been drastically reduced to ¢50,000; down from the ¢200,000 - ¢300,000 they were paying.

Barakatu confirmed that though the IGP's orders were that all barriers should be removed, that directive is not being adhered to, lamenting that another issue he was battling with was with some of his officers, particularly, the patrol team, whom he said had disregarded his orders not to move at 6pm, but rather at 10pm.

ACP Barakatu admitted that some of his men sometimes used to chase trucks even when they were not on duty, to extort monies from the drivers, something his administration would not allow to continue.

He assured the paper that he would do all in his power to ensure sanity on the roads in the region.

Meanwhile, in Brong Ahafo (B/A), the police barrier at Takofiano in Techiman is still in operation, but our investigation had revealed that the barrier does not operate in the afternoon, but rather at night only.

Also at the Kintampo barrier, which is a revenue barrier of the Kintampo North District Assembly, the police on duty there, defied the instructions of the IGP and resorted to taking monies from drivers plying the road. However, the barrier at Kadelso, also in the B/A, has been dismantled.

Dramatically, shortly after our story, Chronicle sources within the Police Service divulged to the Chronicle that Barakatu himself, his second-in-command, Chief Superintendent Yeboah and the staff officer, were behind the police extortions at the Fulfulso barrier as well as that of the police patrol team on the Buipe-Tamale highway.

This reporter was told that the three top police officers have on their list, some five police junior officers, whom they constantly put on duty at Fulfulso barrier, which is now turned as economic barrier, instead of a security post.

The five junior police officers, said to be in the good books of the regional commander, were led by one Sgt. Antwi, a driver of the Ghana Police Service, who was withdrawn as a driver because of an accident he had, which disabled him, rendering him a permanent member among officers detailed at the Fulfulso barrier. Sgt Antwi, according to our investigations, was on police transfer list, waiting for a vehicle to evacuate his belongings to his new destination.

When this reporter put this to Barakatu, who was formerly with the Military Intelligence, he denied the allegation, saying he knows very well that some aggrieved police officers were putting up these allegation because he had stopped some of them from going on the road, following some offensive conduct they were putting up on the way.

He said he does not take instruction from any police officer in the region, but rather from the Police Headquarters and so he would always do what is right and not what would tarnish the image of the service.

According to him, he cautioned all policemen in the region to desist from taking monies from drivers when the issue of extortion from the sawn timber dealers came up sometime ago.

He disclosed that his outfit and the sawn timber dealers had met at the Northern Regional Coordinating Council with the Regional Minister, but was surprised to hear that his men were still taking so much from the dealers.

Despite the warnings, according to the commander, some of the personnel defied his orders and so he had to keep them off the road to save the image of the police.

Authentic sources close to the police in the region told the Chronicle that if the IGP seriously wants to conduct investigation into the matter, then the duty roster of the Tamale Police should be the first to be scrutinized to ascertain who was where and when.

ACP Barakatu, reacting to the issue of detailing Sgt Antwi and four others, disclosed that it was not only the said Sgt Antwi and the four who were sent there, but also one Sgt Kudjiku.

The Northern Regional Police Chief told The Chronicle that the Fulfulso barrier does not form part of the Tamale District Police. He said the barrier was under Damongo District, which falls within the jurisdiction of Buipe Police station, but because the number of officers at Buipe were few, some personnel from Tamale were sent there to boost the security strength at the barrier.

According to him, Sgt Antwi, stationed at Sorugu, a village in the Northern Region, and Sgt Kudjiku were dedicated officers and their presence there helped to deal with the security situations.