"We Are Winning the War" - Regional Commander

The Accra Regional Police Commander, Dr. K.K. Manfo has said the police service is winning the war against armed robbers in the country and called on the public to assist the police with credible information in order to stop them completely.

Speaking to The Accra Mail in a telephone interview last week, the Commander allayed fears that the spate of armed robberies would rise again in the metropolis as experienced at this time last year.

He disclosed that the command apprehended about sixteen armed robbers over the past three weeks. This, he said, should assure Ghanaians that the police are winning the war.

"Through intelligence connections we have been able to identify the hideouts or the living premises of the criminals. Now instead of the armed robbers getting out to perform we are taking the war to them."

Dr. Manfo using this medium to give the Regional Command's New Year message to the public said, "The security situation is going to be improved and better than last year. We have done our ground work and know where those involved in crime in the cities are and they will be arrested."

He said there will be no compromise on crime and the present day and night patrols going on in the city would be intensified. He called on the public to form neighbourhood Watchdog Committees to complement the efforts of the security agencies as well as to provide the police with basic logistics.

He said combating armed robbery needs a multi purpose approach demanding the cooperation of the police and all other security apparatus.

Dr. Manfo urged the public to make it their New Year resolution to desist from mob attacks on police stations and instant justice because this could dent the image of the country on the international scene. "We know the public might be impatient about criminal activities especially of armed robbers.

Ghana is governed by law and we want the international community to see that law rules in Ghana. Should they take the law into their own hands and mete out instant justice at their whim, it gives a bad picture that Ghana is a lawless country."

He noted that not every culprit of a mob attack or instant justice is a criminal and called on the public to assist the police by taking suspected criminals to the law enforcement agents.

"When you kill even armed robbers or members of criminal gang it does not help the police much because when one is arrested, through series of interrogations we are able to ascertain gangs they belong to and who the other members are."

According to him through these arrests the police have been able to swoop other members of the gang, adding that all avenues of getting criminal elements in the system are closed if the suspects are killed instantly without being tried in the law court.

Asked whether the judiciary frustrates the efforts of the police by administering less punishment or sentence on criminals the Accra Regional Commander answered in the negative. He said though there have been complaints that the judiciary is lenient, sentences are passed on the basis of evidence.

"They judge them (criminals) on the basis of available evidence. We can only pray that they will continue to assist to get all hardcore criminals dealt with the way the law demands."

Touching on the performance of the police service last year he said in spite of the inadequate logistics and other constraints the service chalked a big success and should be patted on the back.

He said the police was able to create about ten checkpoints instead of the required forty, which he attributed to logistic problems. He said it is their hope that with improvement in the logistics situation the number would increase.