Crime combat is collective responsibility of all - Minister

Accra, March 16, GNA - Sheikh I.C. Quaye, Greater Accra Regional Minister, on Wednesday urged the public to expose miscreants in their communities and desist from harbouring and protecting them.

"Protecting these criminals can be dangerous to both those harbouring them and those in the vicinity because you may not know when you will fall a victim to their nefarious activities," Sheikh Quaye said, when the Regional Security council met with the press and community leaders in Accra.

The meeting was to set the tone for further discussions on the armed robbery menace and to appeal to the public to be vigilant and join hands with the security in the fight against crimes. "We should be guided by the fact that we are all potential victims and therefore, the need to lend support to the security agencies become more effective," he said.

Sheikh Quaye said efforts to combat crime would not yield any desired results without the support and cooperation from the public and urged them to report all suspicious characters to the Police, who have the expertise to investigate and monitor their movements.

The achievements by the Police High Command, Military and other Security Agencies in fighting against crime in the region in the past four years should not lead to complacency, adding, "the arrest of some notorious criminals lend credence to the fact that the security agencies are making progress in the fight."

He announced a donation of 70 million cedis from the National Security Council, Regional Security Council and the five District Security Councils in the Greater Accra region into the Anti-Robbery Common Fund.

Mr Asamoah Boateng, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Modernisation of the Capital City designate, and Nii Laryea Afoteh Agbo, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Kpone Katamanso donated five million and one million cedis each.