General News of Saturday, 11 August 2001

Source: Public Agenda

The Ho Highway Robbery

After a series of armed attacks on Forex bureaus and homes, the country's highways have now become the latest targets of bandits.

The Techiman-Tamale road has suddenly become dangerous. Accra-Aflao has been for sometime although from some media accounts one would think what happened between the Asikuma Junction and Atimpoku on the Accra Ho road on Tuesday night was a first in the area.

It was only a few months ago that some motorists travelling on the Accra Aflao road were deprived of their every material possession on time including the clothes they had on by robbers operating in very much the some way as happened in Tuesday's attack.

Had it not been for the bravery and quick thinking the anonymous customs officer in his Mercedes Benz with a pistol, the story may either have been according to the earlier script or worse.

As far as we know no one had been arrested in the earlier robbery in the area which leads one to think that we could be dealing with the same robbers.

Hopefully the police have better records than some of us in the media, otherwise we are even more trouble than we think we are.

We do not doubt that our Police know the value of records in their work, indeed report writing, operating log books and the like are what any casual visitor to any police the station is likely to see. The impression however is that after recording these, the material is dumped somewhere till specific request are made by interested parties.

Crimes and criminals need to be studied closely and repeatedly is policing is to be effective. We have a feeling we are preaching to a converted group that somehow is undecided to hot or cold.