The Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery has told Members of Ghana’s parliament, (MPs’) that robbery in Ghana has reduced from 1,101 to 868 from June-December, 2018 compared to January, 2019 to date.
According to him, this success was chalked up as a result of the joint Police/Military patrols code named ‘Operation Calm Life’ which has been intensified in the fight against crime in the country.
He said the cumulative effect of all these efforts has had an impact in reducing armed robbery in the country, stressed that, “the recorded robbery cases in the last half of 2018, i.e. June December 2018, Was one thousand, one hundred and one (1,101) as compared to eight hundred and sixty-eight (868) from January to date”.
According to the Interior Minister:, “Government is very much committed to the fight against crime in the country and this is demonstrated by its relentless efforts in equipping the Ghana Police Service with patrol vehicles as well as other logistical support to enable them discharge their mandate effectively”.
Government last year approved the recruitment of 4000 personnel into the Ghana Police Service of which 2000 are currently undergoing training at various centres in the country, he stated.
Answering a Parliamentary question asked by MP for Garu, Albert Akuka Alalzuuga, Mr. Dery revealed that:, “Government has in the past eighteen (18) months presented four hundred and eighty-one (481) vehicles to the Ghana Police Service and this is unprecedented.
The Police Administration in its efforts to curb the menace has introduced additional security measures to deal robustly with robbery as well as increased its patrols in communities along the highways”.
He however, requested that the public continues to give the Police vital information about the activities of criminals so as to enable the Police deliver efficiently and effectively on their mandate,….”it has always been said that “security is a shared responsibility” and in as much as we expect the security officials to do their work and flush out these social miscreants, the officers will depend on information from the public in order to arrest these robbers”.
Story by Edzorna Francis Mensah
