Ashanti police urges public to remain vigilant

The Ashanti Regional Police Command has asked the public to remain vigilant and alert as criminals keep on changing their mode of operations and tactics.

He asked particularly taxi drivers to be on their guard to avoid being robbed of their cars at gun-point.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Regional Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Augustine Gyening, copied to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi.

He said, police intelligence showed that some criminals in the Kumasi Metropolis often posed as passengers and engaged the services of unsuspecting taxi drivers and strike midway through the journey to snatch the cars.

The statement said in other instances, the criminals hide behind women accomplices to carry out robbery.

It said: “These women would hire the services of the drivers and in the course of the journey ask that the driver stops to pick their husbands or boyfriends, who invariably happen to be criminals.”

The statement called on drivers to be careful of passengers and the instructions they give but said, “There are situations where some of the drivers are themselves criminals and rob passengers of their money and other valuables.”

It advised passengers who arrive in the metropolis late in the night to join taxis at only recognized taxi stations.

He gave the assurance that “the police would do everything to rid the city of miscreants,” and called for public support.**