Don’t shield criminals – Interior Minister cautions Ghanaians
Mr Ambrose Dery, the Minister for the Interior, has advised Ghanaians not to shield criminals but expose them and provide the police with information that would lead to their arrest and prosecution.
He said harbouring criminals was dangerous because those criminals would continue to make life uncomfortable for inhabitants.
Mr Dery said this at the burial ceremony of Constable Emmanuel Osei, the 26-year-old Police Officer, who was shot in a bullion van robbery attack on Monday, June 14, at Adedenkpo, a suburb of Jamestown.
A lady, who was selling in a kiosk close by and lost her life through stray bullets, was also buried.
He said when citizens failed to regard security officers as friends and condoned the actions of criminals, it led to heightened insecurity in the country.
The Interior Minister said various governments, including the President Akufo-Addo Administration, had over the years improved the state of security by retooling the security services to enhance their capacity to perform.
Mr Dery said it was necessary to establish standards and specifications for bullion vans to make them safe to convey money.
“Currently government is working on setting up such standards and ensure that banks provide protective clothing for police officers who serve them,” he said.
“Government has already started providing bullet proof vests and helmets, and is working on providing body cams to ensure accountability on the part of security officers and provide essential evidence for us to be able track all those who commit criminal offenses.”
Mr Dery advised citizens not to remain at crime scenes but to quickly exit in order not to distort useful leads that could help the CID trace the culprits.
He urged the Criminal Investigation Department to fast-track investigation into the bullion van incident to bring the perpetrators to book.
He also urged the Ghana Police Service to step up investigations on all other outstanding criminal cases.