Madina, Aug. 27, GNA - The Madina Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Paul Ayitey, said on Thursday that the crime rate in the Madina area had reduced drastically during the first and second quarters of 2010.

He said during the first and the second quarters of the 2009 the crime rate stood at 55 per cent and 71 per cent, whilst this year it had reduced to 31 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

CSP Ayitey was speaking during an educational campaign organized by the Police Command at the Madina main lorry station, which was attended by drivers operating within his area of jurisdiction.

He said the reduction in crime was due to heightened co-operation between the police and military.

He expressed satisfaction about the collaboration of the general public which, he said, had contributed immensely to the lowering of crime in his jurisdiction and urged the public to continue to assist the police.

Commander Ayitey reiterated that it was the duty of the police to continue to educate the general public on the current trends with regard to the activities of armed robbers, as well as ways to avoid falling victim to criminals.

He said some of the latest tactics used by robbers included the use of unregistered motorbikes to attack moving taxis and pedestrians along secluded roads.

The Divisional Commander noted that the most targeted people are students who carry laptops/mobile phones and businessmen who also carry on them large sums of money. He advised these groups of people to always hide whatever they may be carrying to be concealed from these criminals.

Chief Superintendent Ayitey appealed to the general public to inscribe their names on whatever properties they have in their rooms and on their vehicles and said this would help the owners to be able to identify their property when stolen.

He appealed to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to henceforth compel motorcycle owners to display of their number plates both in front of their bikes and at the rear for quick identification.

Commander Ayitey also appealed to the government to promulgate a law preventing motorbikes from being used after five O'clock and requested a consideration for workers who would be using their bikes to apply for a special license.

The Divisional MTTU Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Charles Ahiamale, reminded the drivers that anyone who wanted to sit behind a vehicle to drive must have acquired a genuine driving license, must make sure that the vehicle has a genuine roadworthy certificate with up-to-date insurance certificate.

The driver must also make sure that his headlights, traffic indicators and breaks function effectively. Mr. Ahiamale warned the drivers to refrain from taking alcohol when driving since it impaired good judgment on the driving wheel.

The Madina District Police Crime Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ebenezer Boryor, appealed to the general public not to tamper with items in their rooms whenever there was robbery, since most of the time the finger prints of the robbers were left on objects at the crime scene.

Also in attendance at the forum were the Greater Accra Police Regional PRO, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Cyprian Zenge, and drivers drawn from the various Unions in Madina, Ashaleybotwe, Adenta and Marjor.