EDITORIAL: These armed robbers!!!

...We need more police patrols The recent spate of armed robbery in the city of Accra is becoming worrying by the day and one does not cease to wonder why they have launched their attack now. Most Ghanaians were extremely wary of them in December obviously because of Christmas but why this time, some people seem to ask. For some time now, residents of South Odorkor Estate have to live in constant fear, thanks to these ruthless robbers. We know this situation is not peculiar to only this estate but very common in other residential areas also.

In an interview with the ADM, a resident in South Odorkor Estate reported that two armed robbery cases occurred last Friday, January 21, in the evening. According to her, a man was robbed of his car at gunpoint right in front of his house and the other was robbed at gunpoint on his way back from town around 9.30pm.

It would be recalled that the ADM also reported in its last week edition a robbery case in Tema where five armed robbers attacked attendants at the ENGEN Filling Station Mart near Meridian Hotel in Tema; fortunately, the police were there at the time they were needed most and in a shoot-out gunned down the men who dared to eliminate our noble men in uniform.

We say thumps up to the police for the brave work. Much as we appreciate the good work the police are doing to make us live in peace and rid the whole country especially the cities and towns of these greedy armed robbers we would also want them to do more than they are doing because the armed men are at it again.

We wish to appeal to the IGP, Nana Owusu Nsiah, and the Ministry of Interior to make it possible that we have more police and military men on patrol in the city, because since the time these patrols were introduced the cases of armed robbery reduced but we dare say that there is more room for improvement.

We advise that aside from patrolling the major streets the police should move to other minor streets and to obscure places that have turned meeting grounds for these robbers. We also need them at places where there are no streetlights.

This is the time we need the police patrol teams' eyes to rove. We say thank you to our security agents for what they have been doing and like Oliver Twist we want more.

We believe the IGP would detail some of his men to this estate as a matter of urgency and save the situation before things get worse.

To the government, we plead that our men in uniform would be given all they need in order for them to work boldly, fearlessly and effectively.