Police to reduce crime

Front Page: Daily Graphic, January 14, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Police Administration has given strong indication to reduce violent crime by 20 per cent this year with special focus on armed robbery and drug trafficking.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye told the Daily Graphic in Accra that the target was part of a five-year strategic plan to be outdoored on January 22, 2010 to all Regional Commanders and heads of specialised and operational heads.
He said the strategic plan outlined effective operational measures and highlights specific objectives, targets and outputs to be obtained in each given year by the respective jurisdictions with the view of enhancing the work of the police in protecting life and property, effective investigations, arrest and successful prosecution.
From January 2009 to November 2009, 1,276 robbery cases were recorded as against 1,347 over the same period in 2008, representing a reduction of 5.3 per cent.
Additionally, the police also recorded only 598 narcotic offences from January 2009 to November, 2009 as against 679 cases within the same period in 2008, representing a decline of 11.9 per cent.
Mr Quaye said the crime situation was largely under control especially armed robbery which caused havoc and concerns in the populace.
He said with the kind of results so far achieved, the public should be convinced that the government was not relenting on its promise to clamp down on criminals.
“What is expected of us is to consider our role as stakeholders to collectively fight crime, reducing criminality, providing justice for all and ensuring transformation and reformation of these miscreants so that they can revert to societies reformed and changed to help with economic development of the communities and the country at large,” he said.
Mr Quaye said the police hitherto worked to contain crime based on directives from the Police Headquarters through the adoption of strategies and appropriate responses.
He said the police were now adopting a scientific approach to criminal investigations and cited the most recent busting of the four armed robbers who reportedly killed a pastor on December 30, last year.
The IGP said the Police Administration was seeking to improve policing through its visibility and investigative skills of personnel.
He said the structures, capacities and facilities of the Crime and Forensic Laboratory were to be greatly enhanced so that pieces of evidence sent there would be properly and scientifically analysed.
“The laboratory should be capable to properly analyse drugs sent there, question documents, analyse finger-prints picked from crime scene and also facilitate computerised criminal research and ballistic examination among others,” he said.
He noted that the Police Administration expected population to grow, new settlements, new businesses and commercial activities among other things to expand within the period which would also come with increased crime.
“We pray that poverty and unemployment levels will also reduce so that we meet our targets,” he said.
He said the Police Administration would also be reviewing its Human Resource stock to ensure that capable and qualified staff, ability to perform, numbers and distribution of personnel were seriously scrutinised.
Mr Quaye said database to provide information readily would be created and developed and also link annual budgets to strategic planning.