Open Letter To The Inspector General Of Police: Urgent Call To Action: Addressing The Security Crisis In Keta Municipality

I am compelled to bring to your attention the dire security situation in the Keta Municipality, particularly in the Washa Wego area. As an Assemblyman for the people of Aborlove Nolopi in the Keta Municipal Assembly, gunning for my second term, and an ex-member of the Justice and Security committee, former Chairman of Anyako Zonal, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of crime on our communities. The crimes perpetrated in our area are too sensitive to be stated here, but I implore you to take immediate action to address the severe shortage of personnel, patrol cars, and resources that is hampering the Ghana Police Service’s ability to effectively combat these crimes.

The numbers are alarming: four CIDs are responsible for covering over 30 towns, 40 communities, and 100 villages, serving a population of over 50,000 people. This is exacerbated by the lack of adequate resources, including only one rickety patrol vehicle that is unable to reach speeds of 50 kilometers per hour. To put this into perspective, here are some statistics that highlight the challenges faced by the police in our area:

- In 2022, the Keta Municipal Police Command recorded 250 reported crimes, but due to the lack of vehicles, only 50% of these crimes were responded to.

- The same year, the command had to rely on the support of neighboring districts to respond to emergencies, which resulted in an average response time of 2 hours.

- In 2023, the command reported a 30% increase in crime rates, largely due to the lack of effective policing.

- Between January and June 2023, there were 15 reported cases of armed robbery, 20 cases of burglary, and 10 cases of assault in the Keta Municipality.

- In the same period, the police command was only able to recover 10% of stolen goods, due to the lack of resources and personnel.

- The command has also reported a significant increase in the number of missing persons cases, with 5 reported cases in 2022 and 10 reported cases in 2023.

My preliminary observations have revealed that investigations into cases are often delayed, taking several days to commence. This raises concerns about the ability of the existing CIDs to handle the volume of cases, let alone take them to court.

Furthermore, I would like to emphasize that the Keta Municipal Police Command is severely understaffed, lacking a Crime Officer and sufficient personnel to effectively respond to emergencies. The statistics clearly show that the police are unable to react to all situations that require urgent action, due to the following reasons:

- Severe shortage of personnel
- Lack of crime officer
- Inadequate resources, including patrol vehicles and equipment

On behalf of the people of Keta Municipality, I humbly request that you provide the necessary support to address these challenges. Specifically, we are seeking:

- Additional uniformed officers to enhance visibility and response times

- Criminal Investigative Detectives (CIDs) to support investigations and prosecutions

- A Crime Officer to oversee and coordinate crime prevention and investigation efforts

To address these challenges, I urge you to take immediate action, including:

- _Increasing Personnel_: Deploying more officers, especially CIDs, to the Keta Municipality, particularly in the Washa Wego area, to alleviate the workload and improve response times.

- _Providing Adequate Resources_: Supplying additional patrol vehicles and equipment to ensure that officers can effectively carry out their duties.

- _Enhancing Investigation and Prosecution_: Implementing measures to expedite investigations and ensure that cases are brought to court in a timely manner.

The security of the people, Assembly Members, unit committees, chiefs, elders, and citizens is of utmost importance. I implore you, IGP, to kindly treat this matter as urgent and respond to this plea as quickly as possible to restore confidence in the Ghana Police Service and ensure a safer, more secure environment for all.

Sincerely,
Assemblyman for Aborlove Nolopi
Keta Municipal Assembly
Contact: 0264114444
Email: [email protected]