The police in Ghana have been put on the alert to ensure absolute control of small arms within the West African Sub region. The police have also put in place measures to minimise the proliferation of these arms in the country. This is because free movements as well as unauthorised handling of small arms in the country have contributed significantly to the upsurge of armed robbery in the country.
Although there was a very minimal input of about three percent by foreigners to the upsurge of the crime in the country, the police will take no chances in the consistent fight of armed robbery in Ghana by way of focusing on cross boarder crime.
The Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP), Kofi Boakye disclosed this in London, UK. He was speaking in an interview on a news and current affairs programme on W.B.L.S. a Ghanaian Community Radio in London.
He said to this end, all arrests, detention and trials of perpetrators will be closely monitored by the police to ensure that all offenders and criminals are punished not only to ensure justice but also to help clamp down armed robbery and other dodgy crimes in the society.
He observed that the war against armed robbery in Ghana has been fought well with much success. He declared “ the war has been won but the battle still goes on.” He said 120 armed robbers who have confessed taken part in various robbery cases in parts of the country are currently in police custody awaiting trial.
According to the Regional Commander, all perpetrators of armed robbery in the country within the last two years have been identified and arrested. He said almost all arm robbery gangs have been burst, adding that the remnants of the various gangs strike from time to time but the police is on the alert always ready to crush them.
He however warned that arm robbery would not stop completely. “Until armageddon, there would always be robbery. Where there is inequity in the allocation of resource, equity in justice and high rate of unemployment, but the hallmark of a good police force is its capacity and ability to respond to crime and arrest perpetrators.” He added.
The ACP told the host of the programme, Nana Obeng Badu (Rabbi) that 15 other notorious armed robbers who are at large have been declared wanted with five million cedis placed on the head of each of them.
He named some of them as Sammy Tuga a Ghanaian based in Germany, Salasi, Ziggi, Thomas Adjei, Amid, Maakwei among others. He noted that most of these are ex-convicts while others have jump bail with some of them escaping from prison.
He therefore advocated for life sentence and nothing less for convicted armed robbers. This according to him this is the only way to minimised the crime in the Ghanaian society. Mr. Boakye observed that since arm robbery is a ‘residues crime’ perpetrators only go back to it after serving their prison terms or escaping from prison.
Mr Boakye leaves London next week for the US at the invitation of a Ghanaian tennis group. The group has been sponsoring some police programmes and activities in Ghana.
