IGP, LET’S HAVE MORE OF THE POLICE SWOOPS

The media has been awash in the last 48 hours in a report about Police engaging in a swoop in a part of Accra, and arresting hordes of suspects.

The swoops, the reports said, were carried out at the Kotobabi Market, Addogonno Railways Crossing. It involved four Police teams including personnel drawn from Accra Regional Operations led by Baatsonaa and Sakumono District Commanders who supported men from the Accra Regional CID under the supervision of the Baatsona Divisional Commander.

We are further told that three of the suspects, namely; Joseph Kuadze, John Agbo, and Gabriel Obu were arrested with quantities of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs – basic evidence, at least, that they are criminally-minded.

Background

The exhibits according to the police have been retained and the suspects have been detained to be processed for Court while the rest are to be screened for further investigation.

The swoops followed a robbery attack on a bullion van carrying an unspecified amount of money behind Danpong Hospital and in front of Harvest Christian Academy on the Spintex Road.

The attack, which was carried out by four persons occurred on the afternoon of March 1, 2021, saw a policeman being assaulted.

Taking the fight to the criminal

Armed robbers, have since the Election 2020 electioneering campaign period almost overwhelmed us as a nation. The ultimate were attacks on parliamentary candidates across the divide with one of them being killed in cold blood.

Similarly, we have ordinary citizens, tomato traders, and truck drivers, with some three drivers mowed down by bullets from bandits. These are aside from other such crimes along the stretch into the Central Region from Accra and bank robberies in the Greater Accra.

It appears that for some reasons known only to the robbers, the whole nation has become a toy in their hands for them to play with at random.

Since the kidnapping of the Takoradi Girls and the fallout of controversy-laden investigations, criminals with bases in Kasoa, Ashaiman, and the community where these arrests were made, armed robbers have walked tall and acted with impunity – enabled by our poor regime of arms monitoring.

As we would admit, it has been worse along the Kintampo-Tamale stretch, with Fulani herdsmen suspected to be primary actors.

For our part as the media, we commend the Police for the act and hope that they will begin thorough investigations in establishing their true identity and zoom into their rings and networking.

While a few of the arrested fellows could be misled, jobless innocent citizens, we believe the majority are culpable and would, at least, know who the criminal elements in their midst are.

More of those

The Police know better than us that a swoop is the best way of smoking armed robbery suspects and Sakawa Boys. In our estimation, this is because it is the same suspects who move into the bush at night to attack travelers and traders who, during daylight, pop up in the pubs and have fun when they should be on farms or factory floors or offices and shops, plying a decent trade.

It is for this reason that we as civil society actors urge the Police to continue taking the fight against the criminals by such swoops in ensuring that we smoke them out and put them where they belong – away from civilization.

As we would all agree, our desire to improve our lives and livelihoods are meaningless, if we continually face the threat of colleagues holding us to ransom by putting a knife to our chests or gun to our heads after we have toiled all day, year, month, decades and lifetime to build something modest. .

Bravo, Ghana Police Service, and more grease to your elbows.