The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has reiterated the significance of citizens in the fight against terrorism and the recent wave of kidnapping in parts of the country.
The Upper West Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Manteaw Reynolds said residents should remain on high alert and report suspicious activities to the police without hesitation.
He also called on churches across the country to invest in modern security apparatus like CCTV cameras, metal detectors and body scanners as part of efforts to boost their own security.
Chief Superintendent Reynolds was educating congregants of the God’s Glory Baptist Church at Wa.
It would be recalled that few weeks ago, an armed foreign national was apprehended by observant parishioners at a church in Hamile in the Upper West Region.
The Ghana Police Service has since that incident been educating churches on how to collaborate and improve their security to forestall any future undesired occurrences.
The Upper West Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Manteaw Reynolds commended the dedication of the parishioners to maintain their security.
He gave congregants of the God’s Glory Baptist Church tips on how to protect themselves in the church. Chief Superintendent Reynolds said although Ghanaians are renowned for their hospitality, residents must be careful how they relate to strangers and give out vital information.
“Ghanaian culture as it is makes us very hospitable. When we see strangers, we begin to adore them even if we do not know them. We begin to shower praises on them and usher them into places they have no business being in. We also give them information they are not supposed to know, telling them private things about us just to win their sympathy and affection,” he explained.
The Crime Officer also urged parents to train their children to refuse gifts from strangers. He said residents must be wary of strangers in their communities.
Chief Superintendent Reynolds said to make investigations easier for the GPS he asked the congregants to ensure that “You take notice of the physical features of strangers you meet. Make sure you take notice of things like the persons height, the shape of the face, nose or head”.
The Crime Officer said things like color of dress or shoes are easy to change and thus do not necessarily make identification easy during investigation.
Touching on the emergence of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat the Regional Crime Officer mentioned that it has made it easy for unscrupulous persons to exploit users. This is because of the sharing of private information and pictures on such platforms.
The Head Pastor of God’s Glory Baptist Church, Reverend Amos Sunday Apkilima said it would be wrong to think that issues of kidnappings and terrorism should not concern people resident in Wa thus the need to organize such a seminar for the congregants.
Some of the congregants who spoke to the GBC after the seminar expressed gratitude to the police for the new knowledge that had been imparted onto them.
Story filed by Mark Smith
