A new report by the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) shows that crime rates across Ghana has increased dramatically this year.

Comparing the first half of 2020 to the first half of 2021, there has been an increase in violent crimes while deaths arising out of these crimes have also gone up significantly.

Particularly of interest is the tools that people are using to commit the crimes.

“If you compare the first half of this year and the first half of last year, firearms have gone up by 79% and machete and knife being used in violent crimes has also gone up significantly, so it is something we need to focus attention on which is gun control.”
 
These were made known by the Executive Secretary of the Bureau of Public Safety, Nana Yaw Akwadaa, on the Sunrise morning show on 3FM with Alfred Ocansey.

The report comes on the heels of a series of crimes committed within the last two weeks.

Of particular interest is the alleged murder of a pastor and his wife at Ayitikope in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region.

Giving an account of the incident, the Assemblyman of the area, Dery Agbo, who is also a close relative to the deceased, said the decomposed bodies of the couple were found in their room.


Another incident was about the Member of Parliament for the Sissala West Constituency in the Upper West Region, Mohammed Adama Sukparu, who was also attacked by armed men upon his return from a funeral. He and the occupants of his vehicle, however, escaped unharmed.  

The Bureau of Public Safety says the majority of the crimes recorded including murders and manslaughters happened outside the victims’ homes.  

“And so it is important that we have these closed-circuit televisions and so we should deploy them and occasionally remove footage from them and appropriate the cameras very well to be able to pick up human traffics and isolate the people,” he stressed.