Fighting crime has become high-tech – COP Amponsah-Asiamah

“Crime has become highly technological and it is important the police also improved on their technology to curb its growing trends,” Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Alex Amponsah-Asiamah, Director-General in charge of Services, he said.

He said this during a handing over a section where the Drug Law Enforcement Unit of the Crime Investigation Department (DLEU)-CID of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), received a donation of six motorbikes and two drones from the Italian Embassy in Ghana to assist in the fight against crime and the illicit drug business.

This was done after 20 Drug Law Enforcement officers had successfully completed a two-day training course in drone piloting techniques in Accra. COP Amponsah-Asiamah said the drones have come at a time when perpetrators of crime employed sophisticated technologies and are always ahead of the police.

He called on participants to put to good use both bikes and drones to advance in their delivery of service and was expectant that in six months’ time the effectiveness of their work would be evident.

COP Amponsah-Asiamah thanked the Embassy, UNODC and all stakeholders for their contribution in training and advancement in the fight against drug-related crimes in the country.

He said the relationship between the GPS and the Italian Embassy in Ghana was a good one and expressed the hope that it would grow from strength to strength.

Mr Giovanni Favilli, Italian Ambassador to Ghana, said the use of state-of-the-art technology is very instrumental in the fight against crime and the drugs trade.

He said the drones would assist investigators to reach far areas which were not easily accessible such as marijuana plantations and other hidden places from a birds view and the bikes, on the other hand, would help them move faster and through areas were cars could not access.

He said the embassy has plans to do more in crime-fighting if they saw that the items donated have been put to good use and increase results in the fight of drug-related crimes in the country.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr George Tweneboah, Deputy Director General-CID, said law enforcement in this era was to large extent technology-driven, hence the partnership with various stakeholders.

He said the CID has vigorously embarked on introducing state-of-the-art technology in the investigation of by the CID.

Mr Tweneboah said Case Tracking System, other surveillance and intelligence gathering equipment have also been introduced to enhance law enforcement.

He said the Embassy in 2018 donated two motorbikes to the new Northern Region CID/DLEU in Tamale and promised to support the newly established units in Sunyani, Ho and Koforidua, hence the donations.