The Police Administration has vowed to step up its crime prevention efforts, to adequately respond to the needs and expectations of the people.

Commissioner of Police (COP) Rose Bioh Atinga, the Director General of Administration, said this had inspired the establishment of the Visibility/Accessibility Unit (V/AU) to maintain strong police presence in the communities and serve as a disincentive to crime commission.

Speaking at the official inauguration of the Ashanti Regional Police Patrols Department and V/AU Office in Kumasi, she said there was now a paradigm shift from arrest and prosecution.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, former IGP, Mr Kwaku Kyei, Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Yaw Adusei, and Nana Achamfour Kwame Akowuah, Akwamuhene of Kumasi, were among those present.

The ceremony marks the start of 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols and positioning of police personnel at vantage points in various communities across the region.

Three hundred officers backed by 20 vehicles and other logistics have been drafted for the purpose and are operating in 30 out of the 31 created police points.

COP Bioh Atinga said modernity and social change had brought in its wake complex and diverse criminal activities, placing enormous demands on the Service.

She said that was why they needed to device strategies that would help them stay ahead of the miscreants and strengthen police-community relations and more so increase their visibility in the society.

COP Bioh Atinga reminded the officers to uphold high standards of professionalism and operate strictly within the rules and regulations of the Service.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Augustine Gyening, Ashanti Regional Commander, said violent crimes including armed robbery were on the decline in the region because of intensified day and night patrols.

He identified easy availability of drugs to criminals and proliferation of illegal weapons as major challenges and called for a review on the law on firearms.