President John Dramani Mahama has stated that government had embarked on a number of measures geared towards combating crime in the coming years.

He mentioned the recruitment of 4000 policemen and women, establishment and equipment of a forensic laboratory among others as some of the measures government had embarked on to eliminate the menace.

President Mahama stated this when he participated in the second Institute of economic Affairs (IEA) Presidential Debate held in Accra on Wednesday.

The debate is the second in the series organized for four Presidential candidates that have representation in Parliament.

Other participants in the debate are: Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Forster Abu Sakara, Presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party and Mr Hassan Ayariga, Presidential candidate for the People’s National Convention.

The first Presidential debate was held in Tamale last October and was followed by a Vice Presidential candidate debate earlier this month.

President Mahama said government would strengthen the forensic laboratory for the testing of ballistic, narcotic drugs and DNA, while the Narcotic Board would be supported to step up detection and arresting as an effective way of preventing crime.

On corruption, President Mahama appealed to Ghanaians to be bold to point out and report people suspected to have been engaged in one corrupt practice or the other for the appropriate authorities to take action.

The president gave the assurance that he would be more than willing to sign the freedom of information bill into law as soon as it got into his domain adding that the bill was still in Parliament and was yet to get to him.

He promised to exhibit leadership by example, by staying clean of corruption and by ensuring that his Ministers and others at the Presidency lived above reproach in the political society.

On decentralization, President Mahama promised to increase budgetary allocation to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and Economic and Organised Crime Organisation to live up to the expectation of fight crime and corruption in society.

He said the same agencies would also be strengthened to ensure that the National Anti-Corruption plan worked perfectly and effectively in the country.

President Mahama said the introduction of composite budget by the National Democratic Congress government was in response to the inadequacies at the district levels, and such budgets could take care of the health and education sectors that were important in the growth and development of the country.

He promised to pursue the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives to ensure that they were more accountable to the people they served.