Police arrest 177 criminals

The police yesterday, in two separate swoops, arrested close to 200 suspected criminals believed to be behind robbery incidents, narcotic use and prostitution in the Accra Metropolis.

The operation which was carried out in the early hours of yesterday whisked the suspected criminals from their hideouts in identified crime prone areas.

At the Tesano Police Station, about 80 suspected criminals made up of 60 males and 20 females were picked up while items including substances suspected to be Indian hemp and cocaine, stolen mobile phones, laptops, cutlasses, ladies’ bags and talisman were seized.

A number of unregistered motorbikes were also retrieved in the random arrests at the crime prone areas which included Tesano, Achimota Lorry Station, Charcoal Area at Achimota, Lapaz and Tabora, all suburbs of Accra.

Chief Superintendent Francis Aboagye Nyarko, Tesano Police Divisional commander explained that the exercise was carried out upon the realization that robbery was resurfacing with the criminals using motorbikes for their nonferrous activities.

“The criminals are becoming more sophisticated. They have seen that the police now have fast moving cars and they are now using motorbikes,” he said.

Describing the operation as ‘proactive policing’, he stated that the police was not going to let people to go to the stations to report crimes but rather go out and fish out criminals: “We want to send a message that we are not relenting in our efforts.”

He said that a screening exercise would be carried out to ensure that real criminals were prosecuted “but even now people are coming in to identify criminals who have either robbed them at gun or cutlass points.”

When DAILY GUIDE visited the Tesano Police Station, two of the arrested suspects had been identified by members of the public.

“We want to wage war on criminals to ensure we have a crime-free society to help people move freely and do their business without worry,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Nyarko gave assurance that the exercise was going to be sustained: “We cannot arrest all the criminals in a day, after this operation they will regroup and come up again but we will not make this proactive police operation a nine-day wonder.”

At the Kaneshie Police Station, 77 suspected criminals made up of 62 males and 15 females were arrested from Dansoman, North Kaneshie, Cabel and Wireless and Abeka Free Pipe areas.

Chief Superintendent Sleance Adikah, Kaneshie District commander told DAILY GUIDE that out of the number, 13 Nigerian ladies believed to be prostitutes were picked up from a house used as a brothel.

Among others some items retrieved in the exercise which started at 8:00am and ended at 12 midday included fake currencies and Indian hemp. Five unregistered motorbikes were also seized in the special operations.

“So far two people on police wanted list for burglary have been indentified among the suspects we have arrested,” he said.

The Kaneshie Commander urged members of the public with information on the operations of criminals to report to the police to help win the fight against criminals.