Crime Prevention Unit Instituted To Curb Crime

National Patrol Department of the Ghana Police Service has instituted a ‘Crime Prevention Unit’ to help check crimes in the country.

The Unit which is being operated on pilot basis in Madina, Nima and Airport all in Accra would have police officers visiting, churches, schools, communities and other public places to educate the public on how to identify crime, give information to the police on crime and how to prevent crime.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Akuribah Yaagy, Director-General of the National Patrol Department of the Ghana Police Service made this known when he visited the Western Regional Police Command to educate them on the Community Police Assistants (CPAs) concept.

In all 100 officers and men drawn from the Esiama, Tarkwa, Half Assini, Takoradi and Sekondi divisions were present for the programme.

DCOP Yaagy said the new community policing concept is to ensure that the CPAs are trained in communication and observation skills, intelligence gathering and basic police duties to enable them interact effectively and be accessible to members of their electoral areas.

He said the concept was also to promote a better police image and public relations through community engagements which would bring services up to the standards of the international best practices.

He said the neighbourhood watch dog served useful purposes in the past, but unfortunately, they were not well monitored and managed and urged the various District Police Commanders to revive them in their districts to help them in the gathering of intelligence in the communities to help fight crime.

DCOP Yaagy said the core values of the Service was to serve the public well with integrity, respect their Human Rights, be creative, innovative and work as a team to help stem crime as well as ensure peace in the country.

He urged the personnel to endeavour to jealously guard the source of their information so as to protect the interest of the informant and asked them to desist from acts that would further damage the image and integrity of the police service

Alhaji Bashiru Ibrahim, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), commended the Police Service for partnering YEA to ensure peace and security and that about 3,000 CPAs out of a target of 15,000 youth would pass out on December 1 with   another batch graduating next year match.

He said the partnership between YEA and the Ghana Police Service on Community Safety and Security Innovation was to address the youth unemployment in the country.

He said the programme was also to ensure total peace in the country to enable the President to achieve his vision of one district one factory and the other intervention, adding “all the interventions will be meaningless if it is not linked up with peace and security”.

“Investment will not thrive in an environment that is chaotic”

He said the roles of the CPAs were being specifically defined to focus on improved visibility and accessibility of the police at the community level and urged the district police commanders not to sack the CPAs who misconduct themselves but to refer them to the YEA for the necessary action to be taken.

Source: GNA