The quest by the Police in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs to carry their fight against armed robbers a step further continues to receive tremendous public support. With the support coming from members of the public, it is expected that the incessant attacks on residents would reduce to enable law-abiding people undertake their economic ventures in a peaceful manner,.
Apathy by a section of the public in the Kumasi metropolis in offering useful information that would have enabled the peace officers to fish out hardened criminals from their dens has also given way to active information, making it possible for the police to apprehend suspected armed robbers in rapid succession.
The axiom that effective and efficient crime combat is a dual responsibility between the public and peace officers is gradually becoming a reality in the Kumasi metropolis, and the result is the recent breakthrough in the arrest of a number of alleged armed robbers and the gunning down of others alleged to have engaged the police in a gun battle at Anwiankwanta, near Bekwai.
The lead story in the July 15, 2009 issue of the Daily Graphic, captioned ‘Bloody night- 8 armed robbers killed in shoot-out with police’ stated in part that “ eight armed robbers, all believed to be of Fulani extraction, died on Monday night when they engaged a team from the Police Buffalo Unit in a shoot-out at Anwiankwanta on the Kumasi-Bekwai road in the Ashanti Region”.
The report also stated that “four others, believed to have sustained gunshot wounds, managed to escape into the bush, and the police have called on the public, especially those manning medical centres to be on the look-out for anyone with suspected gunshot wounds who may seek medical attention”.
Explaining the circumstances that led to the killing of the eight armed robbers, the paper noted that “the robbers had barricaded the road around 7p.m. and succeeded in robbing and molesting many travellers on the road when a detachment from the Police Buffalo Unit descended on them”
The story further indicated that moments after the bodies of the alleged robbers were dumped at the forecourt of the Kumasi Central Police Station “hundreds of people gathered within the precincts of the Ashanti Regional Police Headquarters and some of the crowd cursed them even in death”
The praises showered on the police after the Anwiankwanta gun battle and the continuous support by the public to provide the police with pieces of information that would enhance their crime combat readiness, is a manifestation of the confidence that the public have of late built in the police.
It was one of such information provided to the police a few days after the Anwiankwanta shoot-out that led to the killing of Sule Osmanu Gado, another suspected Kumasi-based armed robber described by the police as one of the most notorious in recent times.
This public co-operation with the police, leading to the arrest of many suspected armed robbers and the killing and maiming of those who engage the police in gun battles, has not only been acknowledged by the Regional Police Command, but has also been hailed by the Regional Co-ordinating Council as well.
It was such fruitful co-operation that saw the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbilla, coming on air not only to commend the public for lending tremendous support to the police, but also urging them to sustain the co-operation to enable the peace officers to go all out and flush out hardened criminals from the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
In his comments on a local radio station on their effort to make armed robbery riskier, Mr Tambilla gave an assurance that the police would not only explore avenues that would facilitate the arrest and prosecution of hardened criminals, but would also continue to perform its responsibilities of maintaining law and order in a more professional way to enhance sanity in Kumasi.
Admitting that the police had a lot of challenges such as inadequate logistics to enhance efficiency in their operations, Mr Tambilla said the public had a lot to do to support them in such endeavours.
He said inadequate vehicles that would facilitate patrols at all the principal streets and every remote corner of the metropolis was one of the main challenges facing the police.
He said the public, especially those who lived on the outskirts of Kumasi, where there were no police stations and accessibility was also quite difficult, should pool resources and purchase vehicles for the police to be used for patrolling such areas.
Such a gesture, he said, would go a long way to motivate the police to put in extra effort to monitor their areas on a 24-hour basis to quell any form of robbery in their residential areas.
“ The police will appreciate such gesture and will use the vehicles solely for patrols around the residential areas to keep sanity for the people to live in comfort,” Mr Tambilla assured.
He said the public could also support the police with fuel to power their patrol vehicles, and therefore, called on the media to whip up public support in terms of revenue mobilisation towards the purchase of patrol vehicles and the supply of fuel to enable them carry out night patrols on a regular basis.
Another concern he raised was about inadequate accommodation for police to entice as many policemen as possible to accept postings to Kumasi and its environs.
The Regional Police Commander said because of inadequate accommodation, the over 300 police recruits who were trained at the Patasi Police Depot in Kumasi were posted to other parts of the country.
“We could have retained not less than 100 of the recruits in Kumasi to beef up our numbers to enhance effective policing, but because of accommodation problems, they were posted elsewhere,” he stressed.
Considering the passionate appeal of the regional police commander and many others before him, as well as the efforts they had made so far in combating armed robbery, I think it was time the public created a platform where all public institutions in the Ashanti Region, as well as top business tycoons , would meet to raise funds on an annual basis for the purchase of vehicles to beef up the police fleet to enhance night patrols .
Opinion leaders in the metropolis and its environs and top management personnel owe it a duty to join hands in addressing the insurgence of armed robbery, and that could only be done only when they actively support the police in diverse ways.
One thing is certain, and that is the fact that, Kumasi is fast expanding, and the few vehicles at the disposal of the police are woefully inadequate for their patrols to all the core areas of the metropolis and its peripherals which are springing up by the day.
It would be very exciting to see all the financial institutions in Kumasi coming together to raise revenue to enable them to purchase durable vehicles to support police patrols in Kumasi.
With such a platform, the oil marketing companies operating in the Kumasi metropolis and its environs could also arrange with the police to offer them sufficient quantities of fuel that would facilitate police patrols in Kumasi on a 24-hour basis.
The private land developers in the metropolis , many of whom have become victims of armed robbery attacks in recent past, could also be of help by providing accommodation that would entice authorities in the Police Service to post as many policemen as possible to Kumasi to maintain law and order..
The insurance companies had always received tremendous support from the police through regular motor checking of expired insurance.
With the presence of the police on the roads on a daily basis, and the fear of being arrested and prosecuted, motorists are often seen rushing to the insurance companies to renew their insurances, thereby beefing up the accounts of the insurance companies.
However, when it comes to supporting the police to enable them to continue carrying out their responsibilities, little or nothing is heard from the insurance companies.
It is, therefore, an opportune time for the insurance companies to prove their worth by taking advantage of Mr Timbilla’s appeal to join hands with other public and private institutions to raise funds that would enhance police operations in Kumasi .
One institution that can also help the police in their night patrols is the Department of Urban Roads.
The department has not lived up to its responsibilities by maintaining many of the roads in the metropolis, especially those at the new residential areas that have come under armed robbery attacks of late.
Armed robbers have always taken undue advantage of the poor nature of roads on the outskirts of Kumasi and easily get away with it from the crime scene before police make any inroads to close in on them.
It is, therefore, important for the Department of Urban Roads to put its house in order and begin to make the residents in Kumasi feel their presence more palpably .
With all hands on deck, and the police living up to its responsibility, the axiom that crime combat is a shared responsibility will eventually become a reality in Kumasi .
With that, the spate of armed robberies which has given residents nightmares in recent times will go down tremendously for civil society to have the peace of mind to undertake their economic ventures in an aura of peace and tranquillity.
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