Sunyani Oct. 31, GNA - Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Seth Charles Oteng, Brong Ahafo Regional Police Commander, on Thursday, observed that, armed robbery cases in the region for the third quarter of the year had reduced, as compared to previous years, because of some good administrative measures put in place.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani that, even though the region recorded a higher number of crime cases, 98 as compared to 74 last year, armed robbery cases, which topped almost every year dropped from 34 to 28 this year. He mentioned some of the cases recorded as murder 33, attempted murder 7, rape 20, possession of fire arms without authority 10 and possession of narcotic drugs 16.

DCOP Oteng said the service had increased its patrols in the region, saying that, there was always a standby personnel patrol vehicles 93for quick response". The Regional Commander indicated that plain-cloth personnel patrolled the highways, such as the Techiman-Kintampo, Wench- Subinso, Atebubu-Yeji and Dormaa-Ahenkro-Nkrankwanta, where attacks and robberies were mostly reported. He added that they had reliable informants who always gave information about the activities and movements of armed robbers. DCOP Oteng said because of the police emergency numbers, civilians now call to inform them on any suspicious persons in their communities and appealed to the public to desist from making false calls. He said his outfit would soon come out with some security tips to educate the public on air about how to be security conscious. The Regional Commander urged individuals and the general public to assist the police with information, which could lead to the arrest of criminals and not to shield them. 31 Oct. 10