A senior police officer said Friday that crime in the Volta Region was on the ascendency with young people involved in domestic and highway robberies. “The situation regarding murder and related crimes is also serious. For now the outlook is not good,” Assistant Commissioner of Police William Akpese, the Deputy Volta Regional Police Commander, said.

Addressing the closing session of a three-day consultative meeting of about 500 chiefs and clergy, in Ho, he appealed for public assistance to deal with the situation. Mr Akpese said highway and community patrols by the police appeared not to be deterring the criminals.

He said the situation was being fueled by the cultivation, supply and use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and unemployment. Mr Akpese said 86 highway robberies were recorded in the region in 2013 and by June 2014, the Ho Municipality had recorded 120 cases of unlawful entry and stealing.

He said frequent swoops on crime prone areas and arrests of suspects did not appear to be deterring criminals who seemed to be highly motivated. Mr Akpese said 55 cases of murder were recorded in the region last year, 15 cases of attempts to murder, 767 threats and 796 threats of harm and 320 cases of “actual harm”.

Regarding rape and defilement, Mr Akpese said the Police received an average of three to five reports daily. Mr Akpese cited Keta, Ketu and Anloga as recording the most cases of rape and defilement where the lives and education of girls were most at risk.

“I am sorry to say this but that is the fact,” he said and appealed to traditional leaders in those areas to help stem the situation. Mr Akpese said motor-bike taxis, “Okada” have become the latest “red herring” in the crime situation in the region.

He said some of the riders had resorted to raping their female passengers and robbing their passengers of their valuables.