Ten guards manning the various wildlife and forest reserves across the country were killed in the line of duty last year, Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Samuel Afari Dartey has disclosed.
In 2011 and 2012 a total of Sixty two forest and wildlife guards were fatal attacks and murdered in cold blood by illegal chainsaw and galamsey operators.
In March, 2013, two persons were murdered in cold blood by wildlife poachers and illegal chainsaw operators at the Kyabobo National Park in the Volta Region and the Abofour Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region.
Between 2011 and 2013 a total of 120 wildlife and forest guards were attacked with some sustaining permanent injuries.
According to him, many of the personnel of the Commission continue to work under precarious conditions due to inadequate logistics needed to ensure their safety in the line of duty.
Mr Afari Dartey, noted that in spite of the many economic and environmental benefits of the country’s forest resources, the Commission continues to face funding challenges to effectively carry out its task of protecting and regulating the use of these resources.
Mr Dartey made these revelations when he donated six vehicles to the Rapid Response Unit of the Commission to help facilitate their work in protecting the country’s forest and wildlife reserves.
The vehicles, according to him were purchased directly from the Commission's Internally Generated Funds.
He said management has to purchase the vehicles to ensure that the fight against degradation and the wanton destruction of the forest cover were stemmed in the bud.
The Coordinator of the Rapid Response Unit of the Commission, Mr Luri Kanton Bahian noted that as part of strategies to combat these heinous crimes, the Commission in 2012 established the unit as a special law enforcement unit to compliment efforts at regional and district levels in the enforcement of forest and wild life regulations.
He mentioned although the Unit has made some remarkable achievements in their operations, the successes were not without challenges.
He mentioned inadequate number of vehicles for effective field operations and inability of staff to undertake effective law enforcement at reserves as some of the challenges facing the unit.
Mr Luri Kanton Bahian was elated at the delivery of the vehicles to the Unit and commended management for their effort.
“Not only are these vehicles going to add onto our fleet of vehicles but would make us mobile, ever ready to deploy RRTs and respond promptly to any distress call from the field that requires our services” he said.
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