The Herald Ghana: Equip Ghana Police to fight armed robbery

The recent wave of armed robbery across the country is giving Ghanaians real cause for concern. Armed robbery, has become the most violent and pervasive crime in the country, which needs concerted effort to fight.

The seemingly entrenched lawlessness and moral degeneracy demonstrated by these armed robbers are no longer shocking.

A case in point is the recent shooting to death of a driver of an ambulance, which was transporting a pregnant woman to the Koforidua Regional Hospital.

On Thursday, February 4, around 1:00 am, highway armed robbers shot a driver of an ambulance rushing a pregnant woman in labour from Akuse government Hospital to the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua.

The driver and the pregnant woman were later rushed to the hospital after being rescued by a police patrol team, the driver died days later at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Similarly, a group of market women who travel to Burkina Faso to buy tomatoes, have become constant target for armed robbers.

Members of the Ghana National Tomatoes Traders and Transporters Association (GNTTTA) have served notice to the authorities that, if the persistent armed robbery attacks, do not stop, they will be embarking on a strike action, which will ultimately lead to hikes in prices of the commodity.

What is even more sickening, in the opinion of this newspaper is the palpable kid glove treatment meted out to the criminals when apprehended. The punishment or lack of it, does not serve as a deterrent to others who habour similar intentions.

The Police are constitutionally responsible for fighting domestic crime, including armed robbery, and the current armed robbery wave undermines public confidence in the law enforcement agency's capacity to act in the public interest.

We are aware of the logistical constraints of the force, as well as the inadequate personnel.

The United Nations (UN) benchmark is one police officer to 500 people, this number is far less in Ghana and requires urgent attention, if crime is to be effectively fought.

In our considered opinion, until the police service are adequately resourced, both logistically and personnel, as well as given the right training in line with modern policing, the hoopla about armed robbery in the country, will remain what it presently is all sound and fury signifying nothing.