DEALING WITH ILLEGAL ARMS TRADE (OCT 27)

ONCE again we have had to return to plans by the police to retrieve all arms in unauthorised hands.
The DAILY GRAPHIC considers the two-week ultimatum given by the Ashanti Regional Police Command to persons in possession of illegal weapons to hand them to the police as routine in nature but very critical to the fight against hardened criminals.
However, our concern now is the piece-meal approach to the issue of illegal arms in the hands of some members of the public. This is because every time the police have issued an ultimatum to criminals to hand over their weapons, the response has not been very encouraging.
A similar exercise in Bawku in January yielded very little by way of result and in the end the authorities had to do what was called the “cash-for-arms” deal.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks these directives have not really worked, except, of course, to be treated with contempt by those in possession of illegal arms.
We are yet to also see any major seizure of arms beyond the ultimatum date anytime such directives are issued.
In spite of the challenges, the DAILY GRAPHIC shares the concerns of the police over the activities of armed robbers and the proliferation of arms in the country.
The police operate on information from reliable sources, and we know that they have intelligence information on the arms trade in the country.
Therefore, beyond the issue of ultimatums, the police should act on intelligence information to trace the arms in the country.
There have been instances when the Police Administration has complained about missing arms from its Armoury.
It is, therefore, imperative that the fight against arms be tackled from within the ranks of the police, in addition to the ultimatum to those involved in illegal arms.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that so long as the trade in illegal arms flourishes, with the increasing number of flashpoints for conflicts, the police have a Herculean task to clamp down on the illegal business.
This is why the police and the people have a collective responsibility to deal with the activities of the criminals.
The DAILY GRAPHIC endorses the present directive from the Ashanti Regional Police Command and we also plead for support from members of the public for this move by the police.
We must act now to curb the rising incidents of robbery which have assumed a high level of sophistication, with the armed robbers prepared to gun down anybody within sight, even including armed police personnel.
As the police turn attention to the illegal arms trade, it will also be worthwhile to examine the business of arms importation with the view to streamlining the trade.
The exercise to control the trade must also look at the activities of local artisans who manufacture guns so that those involved in the trade can be monitored.
It is only when we show a sense of commitment to these acts that we can make any meaningful progress in controlling the arms trade and guarantee the safety of all Ghanaians and foreigners in the country.
We need a peaceful environment to carry out the task of nation building, which cannot be carried out in an insecure environment.