Major crimes in Accra down by 25.1% in 2014

The Accra Regional Police Command has reduced major crimes by 25.1% in 2014 compared to 2013.

The region recorded 727 major crime cases in 2014 compared 971 in 2013.

The number of robbery cases came down from 255 in 2013 to 125 in 2014, representing 51% reduction, while murder cases also reduced from 45 the previous year to 39 in 2014, representing 13.3%.

Rape incidents also dropped from 157 to 142, a decrease of 9.6%, with defilement also reducing from 514 cases in 2013 to 142 in 2014, representing 18.1%.

However, the number of abduction cases increased from 114 in 2013 to 120 in 2014.

General crime in 2014 was 847 compared to 1,085 cases in 2013.

The Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Christian Tetteh Yohuno, attributed the reduction in crime to the adoption and deployment of various operational strategies.

“This was achieved due to our strategies and measures in the area of intelligence gathering, visibility and patrols, rapid response to emergency situations, traffic management and public order management,” he said.

DCOP Yohuno announced that the regional command was set to launch ‘Operation no room for armed robbers’ as part of its strategies to reduce crime in 2015.

He urged the public to partner the police by volunteering information that would lead to the arrest of such criminals.

He said the police also exhibited a high sense of professionalism in handling public order events in the area of demonstrations, carnivals, labour unrests, festivals and chieftaincy issues.

In 2015, Mr Yohuno said, the Accra Regional Command would re-establish its land guard unit to deal with persons who used offensive weapons to protect lands.

“This is because the activities of land guards have become one of the bases for murder among traditional leaders and families in the region,” he said.