Sekondi Feb. 10, GNA - Criminal cases in the Western Region increased from 16,167 in 2007 to 19,380 in 2008, an increase of 3,213, a press release from the Regional Police Command has stated. The release was signed by Superintendent Victor Seth Agbetornyo, the Regional Crime Officer and issued at Sekondi on Monday. Minor cases, it stated, including petty stealing, assault, causing unlawful damage and inducing tenants to quit, increased from 15,616 to 18,854 during the same period.

Prominent among the cases were non-maintenance of children, which hitherto were not reported to DOVVSU, but the public has began reporting them as a result of constant education.

The release said in 2007, 10 attempted murder cases were recorded but decreased to seven cases in 2008 while armed robbery cases increased from 18 in 2007 to 22 in 2008. It said 88 narcotic cases were recorded in 2007 as against 112 cases in 2008, while rape cases decreased from 67 cases in 2007 to 49 cases in 2008. The release said defilement cases decreased from 263 cases in 2007 to 230 cases in 2008, while abortion cases increased from 46 cases in 2007 to 50 cases in 2008. It said in 2007, 49 murders cases were recorded as against 54 cases in 2008 and some of the cases were still under investigations while a considerable number are currently pending before court.

The release said most of the cases were recorded in the Sefwi area and victims are either farm owners or farm hands. It said "The modus operandi has been that the perpetrators hide under cover of darkness and shoot their unsuspecting victims from a distance". "The arrests so far made indicate that the suspects were litigating with their victims and most were land related cases," the release said. It said out of 112 drug related cases, 10 were cocaine cases while 102 were Indian Hemps cases.

The release said Policing in general has improved as compared to the previous year despite the rise in crime wave. It said some of the challenges facing the police include the public refusal to give out information for police operations, lateness of complains, lack of logistics and unreliable information that disrupt police operations. The release said the Intelligence Units of the Command would be enhanced to source for information on activities of criminals and also motivate the public to give information. It said the police will work with landlords regarding tenants with suspicious character and also patrol in crime prone areas at night to be intensified. The release said the Regional Command has recommended to the Police Administration to create a patrol division in the service.