Armed robberies in Ashanti attributed to insiders

Kumasi, Aug 3, GNA - Assistant Superintendent of Police Nicholas Opare Ofosuhene, the Manhyia District Police Commander in Kumasi, has said about 80 per cent of armed robbery cases recorded in the Ashanti Region last year were carried out with the active connivance of insiders.

He said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Regional Police Command, after thorough investigations, found that most of the robberies were executed with precision due to the accuracy of information given to them by insiders. Mr Ofosuhene was interacting with members of the Ayigya Zongo Neighbourhood Watch Committee at a meeting in Kumasi. He advised, particularly, traders and residents not to discuss their business transactions in public or with family members and friends they do not trust.

Mr Ofosuhene appealed to people to be supportive of the police since crime combat was a shared responsibility and to contribute to the sustenance of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee. He cautioned members of the committee not to take the law into their own hands by meting out instant justice to suspects but to hand them over to the police.

Alhaji Mohammed Bashiru, Head of the Ayigya Zongo Community, praised members of the committee for the role they were playing to help to reduce crime in the area. 03 Aug 09