Gradually, murder incidences have gotten out of control and appear to be on the rise in Ghana.
As of June 2021, the Interior Minister, Mr. Ambrose Dery mentioned that there were 144 murder cases recorded between January to June 2021 as compared to same period last year which recorded 123 murder cases.
Not only are these cases becoming statistics but also the combative strategy from the police and the military seem to be very little effort to bring closure to these incidences.
Criminologist and Crime Researcher, Dr. Jones Opoku-Ware; who granted an interview to the media recently, acknowledged that about 80% of murder cases recorded in Ghana between the year 2000 and 2021 have remained unresolved.
Dr. Opoku-Ware further revealed that the violent nature of the crimes recorded in recent times also feeds into the thinking that there is a spate of insecurity.
It is therefore no doubt that the worrying trend is making many Ghanaians holding the view that the country is not safe.
Although the global peace index has recently ranked Ghana as the second most peaceful country in Africa, it baffles my mind the indexes considered in this ranking. This because “Ghana as a country has not been doing very well over the years when it comes to solving crime, especially murders and robberies”,
While chronicling this piece, a mobile money vendor from Kumasi was shot and killed by an unknown persons on motorbike.
In the same region, an Uber driver who doubles as a teacher was beheaded for money rituals, police preliminary investigation has said.
Back to Accra on June 14, 2021, armed robbers shot to death, a police officer and an eyewitness, during a robbery incident involving a bullion van at Adedenkpo, a suburb of James Town in Accra. According to an eyewitness, the police officer, Emmanuel Osei was providing security for the van while the young lady, Afua Badu, was a bystander who witnessed the incident.
These cases and more should be a concern for all since they are signals that the country is not safe and conducive for citizens.
What worries me the most as a Ghanaian in these incidences is that justice has not been brought to the victims who suffered these inhumane treatment and majority of the crimes have not been solved over the periods.
While the wheel of justices grind slowly in curbing these happenings, it keeps lingering in my mind always that I am not safe and i can be attacked anytime at anywhere with no offense.
In recent times, I’ve observed that robbers have resorted to perpetrating their criminal activities on the streets in a broad day light.
This is because these criminals have discovered the weak nature of our security system and the vulnerability of people outside their homes.
But the Crime Researcher suggested that any crime analysis solely based on police data may be misleading and may not reflect the true situation as there may be several unreported or crimes that may have taken place in the country.
