Wa, Jan. 13, GNA - Cases recorded in the Wa Municipality by the Uppe= r West Regional branch of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service increased from 171 in 2009 to 192 case= s last year. Failure to provide for the upkeep of children by parents topped last year's list with 62 cases, offensive conduct 39, assault 35, stealing ni= ne, abduction eight, defilement and unlawful child removal seven each, as well as four each for rape and causing harm.

Others were, threat of death which recorded three cases, fraud and abortion, while attempted abortion recorded two cases each. There was one case each for indecent assault, incest, defamation of character, publication of obscene representation, kidnapping, human trafficking and exposing children to danger. Police Inspector Alfred Dapaah, Regional DOVVSU Station Officer who presented the statistics in an interview with the GNA in Wa on Wednesday, said 14 of the cases had been sent to court, 10 were still awaiting trial while 126 cases were under investigation. Inspector Dapaah identified poverty and indiscipline behaviour on the part of the teenagers and the youth as some of the major contributory cause= s of most of the top cases recoded last year. He said the lack of means of transport was the biggest challenge hindering the public educational programmes designed by the Unit to curb th= e situation.

Inspector Dapaah acknowledged the support of Plan Ghana to the Unit, saying last year Plan Ghana supported the Unit with means of transport to carry out public education campaigns in about 72 communities in the Wa Municipality. He appealed to the government and civil society organisations to assis= t the Unit with a means of transport to enhance its work in the Region.