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The Central Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena Duncan, has asked the national security apparatus to disband the area that served as the Liberia Refugee Camp to help reduce the crime rate in the Central Region.

Mr Duncan said the increasing crime rate in the Kasoa and Buduburam enclave was disturbing and that it posed a serious security threat to the region saying the place had become an “incubator for criminals”.

The Buduburam refugee camp was established in 1990 to accommodate Liberian refugees in Ghana.

But it now plays host to several other persons.

He said the enclave had become a breeding ground for criminals and called on the national security apparatus to work to ensure that the community was disbanded.

Mr Duncan particularly cited the Buduburam enclave that served as a refugee camp as a den for crime and suggested the disbanding of the camp as a way of reducing crime.

He was speaking at the Central Regional Coordinating Council meeting in Cape Coast on Thursday.

It was attended by metropolitan and municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs), and heads of departments of ministries, departments and agencies.

“What we are getting out of what we did for our friends from Liberia is now having criminal consequences on us. This is not acceptable. We cannot as a region and as a country look on,” he stressed.

He commended chiefs in the region for their efforts at supporting each other and the regional coordinating council for growth saying, the region had experienced relative peace due to effective collaboration between all stakeholders.

1D1F

Touching on the One district, One factory programme, he said the Ekumfi Fruit and Juice Factory was ready to be inaugurated.

The factory, he said, was currently undergoing test runs adding that the region would also benefit from other factories under the 1D1F to create jobs and reduce poverty.

Education and sanitation

He noted that the regional coordinating council was working hard to improve on education and sanitation and had instituted award schemes to reward best performing assemblies and institutions to encourage them to promote excellence.

The Central Regional Police Commander, ACP Manly Awuni, said the police would continue to intensify patrols and ensure that crime was at its barest minimum.

He described the crime situation in the region as generally commendable.

He however urged all to support efforts at keeping the peace in the region noting that cases of chieftaincy disputes were predominant with unrests which were rife in the region between July and October when festivals were being celebrated.

“If these are not properly managed, they can degenerate into full-blown crisis,” he emphasised.

He called on all stakeholders to help the police to manage conflict situations dispassionately to prevent the loss of lives and property.