Chief Superintendent Lydia Donkor, Tesano District Police Commander, has advised the public to be cautious of criminals, especially robbers, as the festive season of Christmas approaches.

Speaking to members of the congregation of Higher Life Assemblies of God, Tesano, and CS Donkor asked them to avoid walking lonely at quite or dark places, since they could fail to defend themselves when attacked by criminals.

The talk on personal security for the congregants marked the beginning of activities for the celebration of the Church’s first year anniversary.

CS Donkor told the congregants to be wary of strangers in cars, especially taxis, since there are increasing number of recorded cases where usually two people sitting in a taxi, often a man and a woman, conspire to steal from unsuspecting passengers.

She also advised that people must be very careful of drivers or pedestrians who stop by, and ask for directions to certain places, which are mostly non-existing, since such people will have the intention to rob them.

She stressed the need for them to show interest in issues of other residents, such as the nature of their work, the time they often get home from work, the kind of visitors they receive, and their behaviours at their residence.

She cautioned them to avoid opening doors or curtains too wide to talk to unexpected strangers in their homes.

“As robbers, they will come and attack you later, when they notice you have something valuable in your room,” she added.

Speaking about family or friends outing during the Christmas season, she advised the public to be cautious during every outing.

“ Make sure drinks you order are opened in your presence. When they are opened, it is either you drink all before going out, or not taking the rest of the drink when you return since there are recorded incidence of people getting poisoned in such conditions”, she explained.

She urged drivers to move to nearby police stations or public places for their safety when they notice they are being followed by anyone.

Responding to a question from a member of the congregation on what she should do after entering the house to find out signs of robbery, the Chief Superintendent said one should immediately report such cases to the Police, and avoid touching anything for the Police to investigate and possibly find the suspect with his or her fingerprints.

On cases of robbery at shops, she cautioned attendants to be vigilant enough, especially when they notice that a particular person has been observing things for a long time in the shop without possibly buying anything.

“Shop owners must be wary of their shop attendants, since some of them could be partakers in robbery or aid in robbery”, she added.

She indicated however, that there can be unfortunate robbery incidents that the victims can do nothing about, and therefore advised the congregation to stay calm, and adhere to whatever they are being told to do by the attackers when necessary, in cases of robbery, to prevent them from getting hurt.

“When it comes to self-defence, victims can defend themselves with weapons such as guns, but they must make sure the guns are licensed and registered, and that they are trained on how to use the guns before they use them. Since failure to succeed in such defense can make the attackers irritated enough to hurt them brutally”, she added.

Reverend Samuel Frimpong, Head Pastor of the congregation, said the weeklong event would have many programmes organized on each day, adding that there will be a donation to the Teshie Orphanage.

He said there will also be an invitation of head pastors from other churches, to share the word of God with the congregation and many other wonderful and life transformation programmes.