CRIMINAL CASES INCREASE IN WESTERN REGION (PAGE 36)

THE Western Regional Police Command recorded a total of 19,380 general criminal cases in 2008 as against 16,167 cases it recorded in 2007.
This shows an increase of 3,213 cases.
However, there has been a decrease in serious cases from 551 in 2007 to 524 in 2008, showing a reduction by 27 cases, while minor cases on the other hand increased from 15,616 in 2007 to18,854 cases in 2008.
Among the minor cases were petty stealing, assault, causing unlawful damage and inducing tenants to quit.
According to the Western Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent V.S. Agbetornyo, a total of 54 murder cases were recorded in 2008 throughout the region, while 49 cases were recorded in 2007.
He said seven attempted murder cases were reported in 2008, while 10 cases were reported in 2007.
Also, he said 22 robbery cases were recorded in 2008 and 18 cases in 2007, while 112 narcotic cases were recorded in 2008 with 88 narcotics cases recorded in 2007.
Supt. Agbetornyo said 49 rape cases were reported in 2008, while 67 of such cases were reported in 2007.
Also, he said 230 were recorded in 2008, while 263 defilement cases were recorded in 2007, and 50 abortion cases reported in 2008 and 46 reported in 2007.
He explained that a few of the murder cases were still under investigation whilst a considerable number of them were currently pending before the courts.
“Most of these cases were recorded in the Sefwi area, and the victims have either been farm owners or farm hands,” he further explained.
The modus operandi, he said, had been that the perpetrators hid under the cover of darkness and shot their unsuspecting victims from a distance.
So far, he said, arrests made revealed that the suspects might be having litigations, and that most of the cases were land related.
Supt. Agbetornyo said robberies in the region were of various categories and that apart from few that were undertaken with fire-arms, the rest were effected with the use of force and sometimes, threat with sharp instruments such as knives and machetes.
“All firearms-related robberies were effected on highways,” he said adding “It is further observed that high profile robberies are not prevalent in the region. Some are just meant to steal items like mobile phones and household equipment.”
Touching on narcotic cases, he said out of the total of 112 drug-related cases recorded in 2008, 10 involved cocaine, whilst 102 were Indian hemp cases.
He said most of these cases were as a result of swoops the police conducted within the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolis.
He said all suspects in these cases were before court, whilst exhibits collected had been sent to the Forensic Laboratory for examination and report.
The regional crime officer observed that policing in general had improved as compared to the previous year, despite the rise in crime.
“With the exception of the murder cases which the region is searching relentlessly to find solution, the rest were as a result of effective operational procedures which produced the arrests or detection of the hitherto hidden crimes,” he said.
He mentioned some of the challenges facing the police in the region as the refusal of the general public to volunteer information for the police operations.
According to him, some complaints reached the police very late, leading to the criminals always escaping from police arrest and also that logistics continued to be a hindrance, while the problem of unreliable informants continued to disrupt police operations in the region.
On the way forward, Supt. Agbetornyo said intelligent units of the regional command would be enhanced to source information on the activities of the criminals and also motivate the citizen to volunteer information for police operations.
He said the police would also work with landlords regarding tenants with suspicious character, while police patrols in crime-prone areas during the night would be intensified, in areas such as Sekondi, Takoradi, Sefwi Wiawso and Half Assini highways.
He said the regional police command would recommend to the national police headquarters to create a patrol division in the service, separately from the general duties, to show police presence always and assure the citizenry of their safety.