Ho, Feb 1, GNA - Mr Samuel Owusu-Berko, Ho Municipal Police Commande= r, has appealed to residents of the municipality to avoid dangling their valuables as they walk the streets at night in view of the increasing cas= es of street muggings.

He said there was upsurge in attacks on residents in dark alleys and=

sometimes in the open and their valuables such as mobile phones, ornament= s and money taken away from them. Mr Owusu-Berko, who spoke to the GNA in an interview, mentioned Anlo-Kordzi, RTC, Central Market and Civics Centre areas as becoming increasingly unsafe for residents at night.

He said the modus operandi of the criminals was to waylay passers-by= in the dark alleys and descend on them at knife point to surrender their valuable. Mr Owusu-Berko said an officer of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS= ) and his fianc=E9 were recently attacked and their mobile phones wrenched from them. He said the police had stepped up patrols and were on the track of t= he criminals and needed public support by way of information. Mr Owusu-Berko said residents should be careful about security in th= eir homes to counteract the increasing incidents of break-ins.

He said the break-ins were happening in the day and night and in man= y cases the miscreants strike even when occupants were in, cutting through burglar proofs to pick valuables. He told the GNA that a 17-year-old boy is in the grips of the Ho Pol= ice for allegedly picking a lady's handbag from her car near the Ho Municipal=

Hospital.

Mr Owusu-Berko said Semebia, who sneaked away thinking it was a deed=

accomplished, hid in plantain grooves nearby to inspect contents of the b= ag. He said a passer-by was intrigued by the spectacle of a young man peering into a ladies bag and raised the alarm and Semebia was arrested. Mr Owusu-Berko said just then the owner of the bag used her office l= ine to call her mobile phone and one of those who arrested Semebia received t= he call and directed her to the scene of arrest. The bag contained one Nokia phone and 350 cedis. 01 Feb 10