Kwahu Easter: Police deploy drones to monitor festivities

The Ghana Police Service has deployed drones at the Kwahu Easter Festival as part of security measures to protect revellers.

The Drone Squad is one of at least eight units comprising 500 officers who have deployed in the Kwahu area, according to the Nkawkaw Divisional Commander of police, ACP Andrew Boadu-Ekumah.

While he could not readily provide the number of drones to be deployed, he told Graphic Online the squad will keep eyes on the festivities from the air.

He said Police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department, Crime Scene Management, SWAT, National Patrol Unit, National Rapid Deployment Force and the Counter Terrorism Unit are all on the ground.

At the paragliding site, there were armed police officers and military officers on the ground. Across various junctions in Kwahu, there is a heavy police presence.

With traffic building up from Atibie the main entrance to the Kwahu towns, officers from the Motor Traffic and Traffic and Transport Unit were busy directing traffic.

ACP Boadu-Ekumah said the police was not taking things for granted.

“We have a day and night patrols and intelligence officers to deal with for any possible crime,” he said.

He urged the revellers to obey the country’s laws as the police would only crack down on lawbreakers.

“They should take advice from the police. The human and vehicular traffic here will be heavy and we need to keep things under control,” he said.

The Nkawkaw Divisional Commander also advised criminals to stay away from the area as police would deal with them.

“The criminals should advise themselves. We’ll advise them to stay away,” he said.

Meanwhile, minutes before the first flight took off, there was a heavy fog hanging over the Odweanoma Mountains, the site of the Kwahu Paragliding Festival.