A General Feeling of Insecurity

Ghanaians do not compromise on issues of security and are likely to get very critical of which ever political party is in government at the slightest feeling of insecurity.

The average Ghanaian may tolerate economic hardship but has an allergy for insecurity. It is one of the few instances where Ghanaians put aside their political differences and speak with one clear voice.

THE PUBLISHER is getting disturbed at the recent growing reports of armed robbery, violent crimes, thuggery and even the killing of police officers on official duty.

One may be an isolated case, two may be coincidental but three certainly makes one wonder if this has not become a frightening pattern.

Our front-page story today is a rather sad one. It is demoralizing. Why should a police officer at post get shot to death right at the police station? If we allow criminals to exhibit such bold and Rambo-like operations and get away with it, it creates fear and panic among the populace.

If the police officers themselves are being killed right at the police station, what are we expecting to happen to unarmed citizens in their private homes or places of work?

The bravado of walking into a police station to free seven inmates is scary. It simply means same armed robbers can easily walk into any home and abduct a father, mother or child with ease.

THE PUBLISHER is also concerned about what would happen to the family of the shot officer. In a matter of few months, his family are likely to be kicked out of their barracks, with some not-worth-writing home about compensation.

If as a country, we do not make significant and bold steps or a concerted effort to change the narrative, the situation is most likely to   demoralize our officers and men in uniform.

Something is certainly not working right and we should not be shy to say our national security capos are getting something wrong. They are failing us, if not already failed us.

Could it be that the security agencies need to be adequately equipped and resourced to fight the new crime pattern? We are tempted to believe they lack the requisite logistics and resources.

We call on government to act with a sense of urgency. We call on our Minister for Defense to focus on these glaring challenges and pay less attention to which lands former President John Mahama has built his pension home.

We call on the Inspector General of Police and the relevant security capos to walk the talk and assure us with some evidence that we are safe and that we can sleep with both eyes closed.