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Information reaching The New Crusading GUIDE indicates that some police officers from Asankragua District Police Command in the Wassa Amenfi West District in the Western Region, on Monday, July 24, 2017, besieged illegal gold mining site at Fureso community and took away the miners concentrated sand, mobile phones, foodstuffs and an undisclosed amount of money.

According to information, the policemen last week Monday, went to the illegal gold site with the intention of seizing the equipment and machines belonging to the illegal miners but, few meters to the place the police officers started giving warning shots indiscriminately.

The shooting of the guns by the police officers, this paper gathered, had scared the miners and they run away, leaving their concentrated sand which contained their money.

A source close to the affected miners revealed to this paper on Saturday July 28, 2017, that the Police Officers, after scaring the people to run away were seen jubilating over the discovery of the concentrated sand which they hope to sell and make money, ostensibly to purchase cars.

“Whilst they were jubilating, there were some illegal miners around who were watching them, so later they chased those people also away. As they run, they left their money, foods and mobile phones in their cars. These policemen took away everything that the miners left behind,” the source disclosed.

This criminal case, according to source, was officially reported to the Prestea Police Divisional of the Ghana Police Service in the Prestea Huni-Valley District but no action has been taken to arrest policemen, numbering six yet.

The aggrieved galamsey operators however questioned the operations of the police personnel whether they were there to stop their work or to enrich themselves with what they (Galamseyers) left behind. 

"So the question we no asking is the  galamsey menace should we stop or steal as some police officers are now making mockery of it or any captivating head," the source stressed.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has launched a fight against illegal mining popularly called galamsey.

Many police officers have taken advantage of the situation to harass small scale illegal miners including legitimate ones, most times shooting and wounding them all in the name of fighting Galamsey.

It has been reported and confirmed that on May 14 this year, at around 11:00 am, a resident of Ahansonyewodia, a suburb of Obuasi was shot in the right thigh by a member of the Ghana Police Service on duty.

This situation has become a norm for the Ghana Police Service personnel, as majority have been accused of abusing the powers granted them to aid government in the fight against illegal mining.