MAINTAINING PEACE AND SECURITY (SEPT 21, 2010)

EVERY human activity thrives in an atmosphere of peace and security which is why our governments give premium to security issues and spend a chunk of national revenue in maintaining security.
Issues bordering on national security are also accorded strict confidentiality in order not to jeopardise the security of the state and the people.
Foreign direct investment is also attracted to destinations where the security of the investor and the investment is guaranteed. Ghana is touted to be doing well because of the stable and secure environment that we have enjoyed for more than two decades now.
However, certain signals in recent times indicate that miscreants in our midst are also determined to damage this hard-won reputation. Although statistics indicate that the police are on top of their job forcing crime rates down, sections of the public still live in a state of fear.
Criminal gangs, especially armed robbers, have decided to cause insecurity and fear among residents in the cities and sometimes on the country’s highways. The police, backed by the military, have intensified their patrols in the neighbourhoods and on the highways to take the fight to armed robbers.
Sometimes the lull in criminal activities provides the incentive for residents to go about their duties without let or hindrance. But when the robbers strike, it sends shivers down the spines of residents, giving the impression that we are losing the war against hardened criminals, especially armed robbers.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks that our security agencies are doing their best to control criminal activities and that in the few cases that armed robbers have managed to run away, it cannot be blamed on the want of trying by the security agencies.
We know that the armed robbers can run and hit certain targets but they cannot hide. Our security agencies are noted for their professionalism and, indeed, they have won awards in international circles, particularly during peacekeeping operations across the globe.
The DAILY GRAPHIC can assure the public that the police are on top of their job to control crime but again members of the public are also encouraged to assist the security agencies in crime combat.
Crime combat is a shared responsibility, for which reason it is not enough for the members of the public to complain about the inaction of the police; rather they should assist the police to achieve the objective of fighting crime.
In some instances, where members of the public have sent distress calls to the police and offered correct descriptions of their areas, the police have responded swiftly — a case in point being that of the forex bureau operator who was attacked by armed robbers last week.
While we call on the government to give more support to the police to fight crime, we also urge the police administration to continue with its internal disciplinary mechanisms to bring to book the personnel who drag the name of the service into disrepute.
The feeling among the members of the public that armed robbery is on the increase may not be the situation on the ground but it behoves the police administration to do more to allay the fears of the public so that they can carry out their daily endeavours without fear.