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VIDEO: Galamsey Clash Turns Deadly as GNASSM Accuses Police Patrols of Abuse and Extortion
The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) has strongly condemned recent violent clashes between police and illegal miners, describing the situation as “unfortunate, irresponsible, and avoidable.”
The condemnation follows a deadly confrontation at Bepotenten in the Amansie Central District, which left one person dead and another severely injured, raising fresh concerns about the conduct of police patrols in mining communities.
Speaking on the incident, the District Secretary of GNASSM, Mr Michael Adu Gyamfi, attributed the clashes largely to what he described as the unregulated and predatory nature of police patrol operations in mining areas.
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According to him, police patrols originally intended to combat illegal mining have increasingly become a source of fear and frustration for small-scale miners.
“Police patrols in mining communities have become a major concern in recent times because some of these operations are driven by personal gains rather than genuine efforts to fight illegal mining,” Mr Adu Gyamfi alleged.
In a startling revelation, Mr Adu Gyamfi disclosed that as many as three different police taskforce teams can visit the same mining site in a single day, all claiming to be enforcing the law.
He explained that these teams often come from different command levels – regional, divisional, and district – exploiting the lack of coordination to harass miners.
“These multiple patrols take undue advantage of the situation,” he said, noting that such actions have fuelled anger and, in some cases, triggered reprisal attacks by frustrated miners.
Mr Adu Gyamfi revealed that GNASSM executives in the Amansie enclave have repeatedly raised concerns over these practices.
He said numerous distress calls and complaints from affected miners compelled the District Chairman, Mr Frank Osei, together with other executives, to engage the Bekwai Regional Police Command on several occasions.
“Unfortunately, despite these engagements, the situation remains unresolved,” he lamented.
Commending the operational framework of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operation Secretariat (NAIMOS), Mr Adu Gyamfi suggested that a similar centralised and coordinated system should be adopted within the regional police administration.
He argued that such an approach would promote accountability, eliminate duplication of operations, and prevent abuse of power, even if police patrols remain relevant in the fight against illegal mining.
“If sanity is not restored, these clashes will continue, and innocent lives will keep being lost,” he warned.
The Bepotenten incident has reignited debate over law enforcement tactics in mining areas, with stakeholders calling for better regulation, coordination, and oversight of police operations to prevent further bloodshed.
GNASSM insists that addressing the structural and operational lapses in police patrols is critical to restoring peace and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and mining communities.
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