We must take personal safety, security seriously

Living things, especially animals, have the innate ability to directly perceive, feel or know of activities around them.

Although perception theorists have proposed different estimates by different people about levels of risks, the fact remains that the average man can, in many instances, sense danger before it occurs.

Consequently, man has, for years, built defences around himself in order to avoid risks that are likely to affect his life. This inborn quality has helped to ward off many dangers. For instance, a business owner ensures that the workplace is safe for his staff.

States also spend huge parts of their budgets on security to secure their citizens from both internal and external attacks. At the individual level, despite the relatively better conditions in which we live that should rather assure us of safety, we live in a state of anxiety because of violent crimes such as murder, armed robbery and terrorism.

But unlike other jurisdictions where people take their personal safety very seriously, it is evident that Ghanaians have compromised their personal safety and are not prepared to shirk that cloak, despite the threat of terrorism, kidnapping and the strange murders that we have recorded in the country in recent times.

It is still common for people to make friends on social media and jump to meet such persons at the least opportunity. Other people have found it fashionable to describe in detail their activities and movements on social media, leaving trails behind them that can easily be a weapon to be used by intended attackers to pounce on them.

The nature of violent crimes and the difficulty of our security agencies to unravel the mysteries behind some of them attest to the fact that the criminals have become sophisticated in their act, for which reason the Daily Graphic enjoins all citizens to be conscious of their personal safety to save themselves from potential criminals.

But we are worried. Our worry stems from a statement by a senior police officer, Commissioner of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno, that Ghanaians are gullible to security attacks because we are predictable in everything we do.

Such an observation coming from a top police officer should not be taken lightly, as it comes from a well-informed position. It is a fact that the average Ghanaian tends to trust anybody he/she meets, even for the first time. Many a time we leave things, including our homes, to people whose backgrounds we virtually know nothing about.

This attitude has led to many criminals succeeding in going scot free after committing wrongful acts. Even when there is evidence of committal of an offence, the Ghanaian is ever prepared to bring in influential persons to help let the perpetrator off the hook.

The Daily Graphic reminds all that the criminals are using all manner of methods and means to commit serious crimes without being traced and the citizens should act in a way to counter the activities of the lawbreakers.

We add our voice to that of the senior police officer’s and impress on all to begin to be security conscious by refraining from loosely discussing private issues in public, checking whether we are being stalked, ensuring that we secure our houses and rooms before we retire to bed and before we go out.

We must also be very vigilant, especially on people who come to work in our homes, such as artisans and maids, as they could relay vital information to criminals.

When we do these little things, we will be on the way to protecting ourselves from harm.