People must report crime to help us combat if effectively – Police

Superintendent Kwabena Otuo Acheampong, Tema Regional Police Crime Officer, has called on residents to report crime as it aids the service in crime prevention.

“People must report crime whenever they occur to help in crime prevention strategy, policy formulation and budgeting”.

According to the Regional Police Crime Officer, in criminology, there was a term called “Dark figure of crime”, which he explained as crime that goes unreported and undisclosed, which doesn’t help in crime statistics.

Supt. Otuo Acheampong prescribed that the approach to crime-fighting must be aggressive, uncompromising and non-negotiable, “if the country wants to deal with major and violent crimes”.

He noted that in recent times, Ghana had experienced the most violent crimes, which were alien to the society, from violent robberies to callous murders plunging the nation in a state of agony, anytime news of such crimes was reported in the media.

Speaking at the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office’s seventh stakeholder engagement and workers’ appreciation day seminar, Supt. Otuo Acheampong stated that reportage of crime helps the police to analyse, know the trend and pattern of the crime and be able to deal with it.

He noted that when people committed minor crimes and were not arrested, investigated, prosecuted and punished, there was a belief in them that, they will not be arrested when they commit major crimes.

The Tema Regional Crime Officer disclosed that people who commit minor offences have the propensity to commit serious crimes and therefore people must be made to answer to the crimes they committed.

"Wife or husband beaters, people who inflict serious bodily harm to others, those who are cruel to animals could be potential murderers, or thieves. Mobile phone snatchers could be potential bank robbers, students who cheat in exams and commit crimes on campus could be potential offenders in dishonest crimes after they graduate," he said.

"It is quite unusual for anyone who never committed a minor crime, to wake up one day to commit a serious or violent crime, so everyone must answer to the crime they commit," he noted.

Supt. Otuo Acheampong said, “we are not oblivious of the society we live in, where people have the tendencies to settle crime and resolve issues like defilement and rape, where people still try to sit down in their homes and resolve them.

“It doesn’t make us have an idea of what’s happening for us to deal with them”.

Supt. Otuo Acheampong stated that the police needed the public for tip off; as the responsibility of the public to tip off the police of criminal, of a crime or any dangerous characters or situation within their environment.

Mr Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the Ghana News Agency called on the media to use their platforms to campaign for national discourse.

He said it was essential for the media to champion national discussion and ensure that everyone got along the discourse; the people in the market place, the rural area, the communities and those literate or illiterate, none of them should be left out.

Mr Ameyibor said the media must endeavour to reach out to all segment of society irrespective of their status, adding that, "everyone's voice or opinion matter in the public debate for national development".

He said, modern journalism practices demanded a comprehensive dynamic approach to issues which affected society, through which the media provides a platform for proactive engagement and exchange of ideas towards shaping national development.