Criminal cases increase in Northern Region

A total of 2,149 criminal cases were recorded by the Northern Regional Police Command, compared to the 1,768 cases recorded in 2011.

The figure showed an increase of 17.73 per cent over the previous year’s figures.

This was disclosed by the Regional Police Commander, DCOP George Tuffour, during the police annual West Africa Security Service Association (WASSA) celebrations in Tamale.

The celebration is used to bring personnel in the region together and promote peaceful co-existence, unity and harmony within the service. It is also used to appreciate the hard work of the officers and men in the service, take stock of the service’s activities in the past year and plan for the coming year.

DCOP Tuffour blamed the security situation in the region on chieftaincy and communal conflicts and armed robbery and added  that the current numerical strength of 900 police personnel in the region made it difficult for the maintenance of peace in the entire region.

He said the police civilian ratio was one police officer to 2,755 citizens and, therefore, called for collaborative efforts to enable the Police Service to perform its role effectively.

He added that social vices must be uprooted from society and thanked the media for assisting the security agencies, particularly the police, to combat crime by providing them with vital information.

The Regional Minister, Mr Bede Ziedeng, in a speech read for him, thanked the police for their role in maintaining peace in the region.

He said the police, together with other security agencies, did  well to maintain peace and order during the elections last year and advised service personnel to study the trend of crime to enable them to vary their tactics in order to deal with criminals who were becoming sophisticated in their operations.

Constable Bernard Acheampong of the Tamale Metropolitan Police Station was adjudged the overall National Best Police Officer for 2012. For his prize, he was given a new motorbike donated by the Inspector General of Police.

Story by Marcelinus Dery