In order to achieve this, the ECG Accra West Region had intensified its crack down on unauthorised power supply at customer premises and imposing hefty fines on perpetrators couple with prosecutions to serve as deterrent to others.

Consequently, the Acting Accra West Region Manager of the ECG, Mr Emmanuel Ank­rah, announced that that special task teams had been set up and were on a daily basis moving into customer premises to audit the state of installed meters and other electrical connections in their facilities.

In its pilot phase from Sep­tember to December last year, he indicated that the region recov­ered more than GH¢7.4 million from 374 customers arrested for engaging in various forms of illegalities, constituting a total of 3.3 gigawatts of power theft.

During an engagement with the media on Thursday at the Accra North Industrial Area headquar­ters of the region, Mr Ankrah advised customers to desist from conniving with self-styled ECG staff or electricians to interfere with meter installations and illegally connect customers to the grid.

“We have therefore, introduced an incentive package of six per cent of the amount recovered from illegal connection to anyone with information which leads to the arrest of perpetrators.”

“To all who have done illegal connections, we will identify you and recover the value of all the power you have used for free, penalty,” the Acting Accra West Regional Manager of the ECG concluded.

He mentioned Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortanior, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korle -bu and Nsawam as the eight opera­tional districts of the Accra West Region with a total customer pop­ulation of approximately 710,484 with a staff strength of 578.

On his part, the Accra west Revenue Protection Manager, Dr Mark Owusu Ansah, said illegal connections poses serious risk to property though fire out­breaks and sometimes leading to electrocution, endangering entire neighbourhoods.

“We regard persons who en­gage in illegalities as thieves who steal power from us and deny us revenue. We are leaving no stone unturned to identify such criminals and boot them out,” Dr Owusu Ansah stated.

The illegalities identified during the pilot exercise, he said, were: meter bypass, meter tempering, direct and unauthorised service connection.

The eight districts were repre­sented by the respective managers at the media engagement, includ­ing the General Manager, External Affairs of the ECG, Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku.

Nii Ayiku Ayiku assured jour­nalists that his office was opened 24 hours to respond to all forms of inquiries.