The Ghana Police Service has said it has increased the number of patrol teams in some parts of Accra where armed robbery is rampant.
According to the service, it is gradually working to address the menace of robbery in the country, especially in areas that have been identified as prone to the menace.
The Director General in charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, COP Christian Tetteh-Yohunu, in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show, said the extra patrol teams dispatched to some communities in Accra were only to support the regional command’s efforts.
Residents in areas such as Ashongman and Spintex, live in constant fear due to rampant robbery activities, but COP Tetteh-Yohunu said “For now at Ashongman, we have beefed up the patrols with two extra patrols teams from the national SWAT. If you get to community 18 the national SWAT has added two extra teams.”
“Also, the regional command should re-adjust and organize their teams to take care of the problems in those areas because at the national swat level, they respond to crisis countrywide. But as a quick measure we have come in also to support the regional command of which they have to re-adjust, put in intelligence and also beef up patrols in those areas to at least control the robbery situation in those areas,” he added.
Many listeners through Citi FM’s Breakfast Show have expressed their frustration in engaging the police to guarantee their safety. While many complained of the Police service’s lackadaisical attitude towards responding to crime issues, others alleged that personnel often demand money before carrying out an investigation into reported robbery cases.
COP Christian Tetteh-Yohunu said it’s unethical for officers to demand money before acting on crimes.
He urged the public to report officers who demand money or gifts before attending to reported cases to the regional commands for action to be taken against them.
He also advised the public to keep the contacts of their respective divisional commands and neighbourhood watchdog groups to ensure easy access to them in case of emergency.
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