Police Declare War On Land Guards

The police administration has declared �war� on land guards in the country. A statement in Accra yesterday said �it shall consider any acts of �landguardism� as serious crime and will be dealt with accordingly.� The statement, signed by DSP Freeman Tettey on behalf of the director of public affairs, Mr Cephas Arthur, further explained that �the practice of engaging land guards undermines law and order and is therefore illegal.� It warned that the raising of any armed force in this country is the prerogative of Parliament as stipulated in Article 210 [2] of the 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana: �A person shall not raise an armed force except by or under the authority of an Act of Parliament,� and remains as such. The police administration said: �This act of lawlessness and indiscipline on the part of individuals who, under the guise of protecting their lands, mobilise young men and resource them with all kinds of offensive weapons to cause mayhem and terrorise innocent people immensely undermines law and order.� The police, however, advise the public to seek recourse on any piece of land in dispute at the relevant Land Management Offices, such as Land Title Registry, Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) or take civil action at the law courts for redress. In cases of trespassing, which may be a criminal offence, complaint could be lodged with the police for necessary action, instead of taking the law into their own hands.