Police to beef up security during Christmas

Accra, Nov. 11, GNA - One thousand Policemen would be deployed to the Central Business District of Accra to beef up security during and after the Christmas season, the Police said on Friday. Briefing the press in Accra, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Douglas Akrofi Asiedu, Greater Accra Regional Commander, said the 1,000 Policemen, some of who would be in plain clothes, would be at strategic places to arrest pickpockets and bag snatchers, among other crinminals.

"We still re-establish our assurance to the public that Christmas would be safer by all security standards this year, so there is no cause for alarm," he said.

ACP Aseidu also urged individuals, associations and communities to be security conscious in order to discourage the commission of crime. He said the Police Administration had revived the community policing concept in preventing crime and as such was involving transport unions to ward off highway robbery.

He said armed robbery cases had been blown out of proportion by a cross-section of the media adding that it was creating panic and fear across the country.

He said the state of robbery was not alarming and emphasised that since the arrest of some Nigerian robbers last month, robbery had reduced.

ACP Aseidu said last month, the Region recorded seven robbery cases comprising car snatching and robbery on the street and workplaces. "From January 1 to date the Region has recorded 148 robbery cases." He reminded the public about the ban on firecrackers, saying it was an offence to use or display them and that the Police would arrest persons found with them. ACP Jonathan Yakubu, Deputy Regional Commander, said the Region had received 12 more vehicles for the Police/ Military patrols. ACP Yakubu said the Public Affairs Unit of the Police Service had started educating communities on security tip-bits. He asked the public to offer the Police information to assist in them in their operations.