‘Use your expertise to combat communal conflicts’
The Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr Prosper Agblor, has called on investigators and aids within the CID in the Upper East Region to use their expertise to combat communal conflicts which are rife in the region.
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He said although the crime rate in the region was low, communal conflicts arising from chieftaincy and land disputes culminating in criminal cases such as damage to property, harm and murders needed to be nipped in the bud.
Mr Agblor was addressing 100 investigators and aides drawn from the CID in the region after they had completed a two-week detective training course at Pwalugu.
He further urged investigators to professionally handle criminal cases arising out of communal conflicts in order to restore public confidence in the police.
"It is pertinent to note that some of the police duties, when carried out unprofessionally, trigger agitations from some members of the community, leading to loss of confidence in the police," he said.
Mr Agblor, therefore, entreated investigators to desist from meddling in civil matters and demonstrate respect for human rights.
Crime wave
According to the Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Mr Alex Asamoa-Frimpong, due to the proactive measures put in place by the Upper East Regional Police Command, crimes such as robbery, murder, stealing and cattle rustling had reduced in the region.
He said, for instance, robbery cases for the second quarter of 2013 were 34, compared to the second quarter of 2014 which stood at 28.
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That, he said, showed a reduction of six, representing a percentage decrease of about 18.
He, however, stated that the CID had initiated a sensitisation programme to educate residents on the need to help the police combat crime.
He explained that most crimes committed were facilitated by the use of motorbikes, hence the need for the police in the region to be provided with more motorbikes to effectively fight crime.
The Course
So far, a total of 1,070 officers have been trained this year by the Ghana Police Service. The course participants were trained in basic investigative skills, interrogation and interviews, identification methods, selected topics on criminal law, report writing and communication skills, arrest, detention and searches, preparation of dockets, CID forms and crime scene management, among other topics.