The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has asked the Ghana Police Service to marshal all the relevant expertise at its disposal to unravel the recent spate of armed robbery on the country’s highways.
He said the police must act quickly to bring on board astute crime scene investigators and anti-robbery experts to arrest criminals who took the lives of innocent citizens on the country’s highways.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu made the call when the Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, called on him at the Manhyia palace in Kumasi as part of a day’s visit to assess the readiness of the police in the Ashanti region towards the December 7, elections.
The Asantehene said the inability of the police as a protection agency, to unravel most of the recent mysterious deaths and robbery attacks in the country, was denting the image of the Service.
It was therefore important for the leadership of the Police Service to devise pragmatic strategies to halt the increasing spate of criminal activities in the country to help the Service regain public confidence.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu stressed that recent media reports that many Ghanaians were applying to own guns and small arms for their personal protection, indicated that the people’s confidence in the Service was low.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu, reiterated the call on losing political parties to accept defeat in good faith and resort to law courts if they suspected foul play.
“If a political party loses an election, its supporters are not supposed to bring chaos into the country.
“They should wait for their time to win, or if in so much doubt, they can take the matter to court for peaceful settlement”, he stressed.
The Asantehene, advised the police to strive to work to calm down tensions and ensure that misunderstandings and small issues did not degenerate into violence.
Mr Oppong-Boanuh on his part, appealed to the Asantehene to counsel traditional leaders to step up efforts to educate their subjects, especially the youth to stay out of violence before, during and after the elections.
He said the police were ready and prepared to protect all citizens to vote in a peaceful manner.
The IGP appealed to Ghanaians to go to the polls peacefully and refrain from fomenting trouble, adding that the law would catch up with anyone who faulted the electoral rules.
Mr Oppong-Boanuh said the police had identified some election hotspots in the country and was working to beef up security in those areas to ensure peace.
The IGP also inspected a simulation exercise organized by the Regional Police Command at the Police Training School in Patasi, Kumasi to demonstrate to the public the preparedness of the police to handle any misfortune during the election’s day.