It is ideal for every Ghanaian to demand optimum safety, raise concerns and question the appropriate authorities when there is so much insecurity and anxiety with ‘emboldened’ robbers lurking around, ready to attack and brutalise their victims at any point in time.
This is the stance of US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson who spoke to Ghanaweb editor, Kwabena Kyenkyenhene Boateng on current affairs show; ’21 Minutes with KKB’.
According to him, though Ghana is moderately safe, the concerns being raised by its citizenry following the alarming rate of armed robberies in recent times is not inappropriate.
“Ghana is considered a level 1 threat for crime and for security issues on a scale of 4 so it’s the minimum level. I feel very safe here but I think Ghanaians have the right to be concerned about recent spectacular robberies, shootings”, he noted.
Mr. Jackson believes the right investments in the police and military services will provide Ghana the right resources it needs to fight crime to the core and get the desired results in that regard.
“The police need more people, they also need more resources. The President promised in his state of the nation address to provide those resources and it’s going to take a little more time to sort that out. Meanwhile steps I understand are being taken to supplement the role of the police with the military that’s perhaps a good short term solution, I’m not in the best position to judge, I think we’ll know only when we see the results. It’s hard to predict whether crime will go down until we see if crime is going down. Logically it should go down if more security personnel are available and more mobile”, he maintained”.
His comments come on the back of recent ‘wild’ robberies that have taken over several parts of the country particularly in the capital.
In one instance, a group of armed robbers numbering 10, stormed Royal Motors in Accra in broad day light and made away with some GHC8000, in the same fashion, a Lebanese was attacked at the Tema Industrial Area, shot and robbed of GHC200,000. A 44-year-old mother-of-three was also, in a separate instance stabbed to death by armed men in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, 28 February 2018 and her handbag stolen by the robbers.
While police hunt for the robbers, government has promised to deplore some military personnel to assist the police service in combatting crime in society.
Efforts are also being made to procure logistics such as helicopters, drones and vehicles for the Police Service to help in the fight against armed robbery and general crime in the country per information from the camp of Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery. Meanwhile there has been massive reshuffle in the Police Command Department following recent robberies.
