The Agona Swedru Divisional Command of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) recorded more defilement cases in the first and second quarter of this year than the same period last year.

Station Officer of Agona Swedru Divisional DOVVSU, Chief Inspector Philip Arthur, disclosed this during a forum on community level engagement between young people and the police at Agona Swedru.

The forum was organised by Youth Bridge Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Accra, and sponsored by Osiwa.

Chief Inspector Arthur hinted that a total of 78 defilement cases were recorded by the command in the first and second quarter of 2015 as against 62 cases in the same period in 2014.

He added that non-maintenance cases increased from 63 in 2014 to 85 in the same period in 2015, while indecent assault cases increased from six in 2014 to eight cases in the same period this year, with child abduction also increasing from 11 cases in 2014 to 17 in 2015.

Chief Inspector Arthur charged parents to report all cases related to child abuse, especially those involving girl-child to DOVVSU for them to take proper action against the suspects instead of settling such cases in the house.

The youth perception of the police, proper handling of juvenile arrests to committal and the role of the youth in ensuring a crime-free society were some of the topics treated.

Agona West Municipal Director of Department of Social Welfare, Robert Baah, stated that no child was born to become a criminal.

He warned parents, particularly men to desist from shirking their responsibilities before the law catches up with them.

Programme Officer of Youth Bridge Foundation, Fredrick Jojo, revealed that the project was aimed at searching the future of young people in Ghana through improved juvenile service.