Pickpockets at Kasoa

Wilson Martey, 22, was seen with red teary eyes on a hot Monday afternoon surrounded by a crowd of about three dozen people not far from the Kasoa new market.

He was telling them about his Gh¢500 that had gone missing from his pocket a few minutes after getting off a bus and attempting to purchase a pair of slippers on display in a shop that had caught his eyes.

Some sympathisers tried to console him while others cursed the pickpockets who had stolen the money from  the young senior high  school graduate. 

Martey said he had put the money in his wallet, which was in his back pocket “and when I got down from the commercial vehicle at the Kasoa Market I put the change from my transport fare back into my pocket.”

He said soon after putting the money in his pocket “a man hit his shoulder against mine but I did not realise that my wallet was gone. I saw some people looking at me in dismay as if they wanted to tell me something but I did not understand why.”

Cases 

A trader at the Kasoa market said there had been six cases of pickpocketing aside that of Martey  within that week and  there had been more than 50 cases in the Kasoa new market alone.

She said all the cases occurred between midnight and 6p.m. each day, including weekends when the victims either had their valuable items picked while walking in a crowded area or had left their items unattended to. 

With the festive season around the corner, reports of pickpocketing have been rampant in some parts of the Kasoa municipality.

Apart from the Kasoa new market, other  areas where the incidents occur include the Kasoa Obom Road and the Old Market.  

In some cases, some victims are attacked and harmed when they try to struggle with the pickpockets.

How pickpockets operate 

The pickpockets, until recent times , were easy to identify since they were usually shabbily dressed and stood at vantage points such as bus stops and in front of busy shops.

However, lately , the pickpockets who work either alone or belong to a group cannot be distinguished from professionals who are busy going to work.

Appearance

They dress up in smart attire, sometimes in suits and hold either a folder or briefcase just to give the impression that they are some busy personalities on their way to the office.

They monitor the movements of their victims from a distance and they follow them closely until they have achieved their targets.

They also loiter around busy shops, such as provision stores, salons and restaurants, and watch buyers before they strike.

There have been reports where the pickpockets had followed the victims to their homes or followed them until they got to a quiet  area before attacking them.

The recent incidents of power outages  seem to have made the illegal operation of pickpockets even easier.

Tricks

Additionally, some of them use the tactics of what is usually described as confidence tricks where they would approach an individual and pretend to have lost their way and so need direction to a place.

They greet politely and deceive their victims into thinking they are looking for the direction to a specific destination  and when the victims try to help, they  engage them in a conversation and manage to get their targets to part with whatever valuables they have on them.

They are also able to make their victims believe that they have lost their money and need help.

When the individual who is approached offers to help, they use that as an opportunity to monitor where the money of their victim is kept and steal the money at the least opportunity .

Sometimes, these pickpockets join a taxi or passengers in a commercial vehicle only to steal.

The situation has left  some residents and  visitors to Kasoa and especially shoppers in a state of fear and panic.

The appropriate authorities, including the police, local government authority and the managers of business centres, should take measures to help address this problem. 

According to the Kasoa Police Commander, Supt Samuel Punobyin, the police have already begun a campaign to remind the public to be vigilant at all times, especially in crowded places.

The police have asked individuals to avoid exposing cash, valuables or jewellery in public as this might draw unnecessary attention to potential victims.

People have also been urged to avoid placing their wallets in their back pockets and also ensure that their bags are properly secured at all times. 

They are also not to leave their valuables unattended while shopping, as they become easy targets of criminals.