Crack The Whip On Criminals

Some deviants in the country are trying to create a state of insecurity among the populace. These deviants include armed robbers, pickpockets and political hoodlums who attack their �prey� without provocation. The other day, criminal groups, some armed to the teeth, wanted to cause fear and panic in Accra, but the security agencies acted with dispatch to smoke them out of their hideouts. Unable to find breathing space in Accra, these armed gangs took their nefarious activities to the highways where they terrorised travellers, especially traders whom they suspected to be carrying huge amounts of money to purchase goods and food items. Here again, the security agencies tried all kinds of strategies to break the back of those criminal rings by mounting roadblocks and going on patrols. No matter the attempt by the criminal gangs to create insecurity in the country, the security apparatus has stepped up its game with the provision of logistics by the government. Recently, the Ghana Police Service was especially commended for increasing its visibility in Accra by deploying vehicles and policemen and women to all traffic intersections and other vantage points to fight crime. Last week the Presidency met security chiefs to discuss the security solution in the country following a series of fire outbreaks and killings, especially in Kumasi. The security chiefs told the government and the people not to panic because their men and women were in control of the situation. However, no sooner had members of the public accepted the assurance than Kumasi was hit by a series of killings that have threatened the peace and stability of the Garden City. Going forward, the Daily Graphic appeals to the security agencies to deal with crime issues in the country without fear or favour. The perception out there that anybody who is well connected politically can get away with crime is not helping the police to bring the security situation under control. This is a bitter truth that is likely to land anybody commenting on it in a political pigeon hole, but we need to confront the issues that undermine the efforts by the police to promote law and order in our country. The ordinary people say every day that justice is only for the well-connected, although the preamble to our Constitution states: �In the name of the Almighty God, we the people of Ghana, in exercise of our natural and inalienable rights to establish a framework of government which shall secure for ourselves and posterity the blessings of liberty, equality of opportunity and prosperity.� The Daily Graphic is saddened by the politicisation of crime in our society which has emboldened certain people to hide behind the colours of political parties to engage in the culture of impunity. It is a common trend in our society to find political activists involved in crime seeking protection from either the ruling party or the major opposition party because these are the dominant political parties. When this happens, the security agencies do not dare take action. In other cases where they have been able to act professionally, they catch cold the moment the political class sneezes. Even on occasions when the police act professionally, members of the public suspect the long arm of the government or some powerful forces in our society. We are destroying our country, which is touted as the most peaceful place on earth, on the altar of political expediency. The political class, rightfully or wrongfully, has made its supporters see others on the other side of the divide as enemies. Although there is peaceful co-existence and stability, the undercurrents portend tragedy if action is not taken immediately to get all Ghanaians to imbibe the principle of one country, one people with a great destiny. The Daily Graphic, therefore, calls on the political authorities to give the security agencies the free hand to punish wrongdoers. Nobody should be allowed to hide behind the political class to commit crime, otherwise we shall unconsciously create an insecure environment. For this reason, we should now consider making the police autonomous, so that they can carry out their mandate without looking behind their shoulders whether Big Brother is watching. The police and others in the security apparatus have always excelled when it comes to crime combat and peacekeeping and that is why the security agencies must be allowed to crack the whip on criminal gangs, even those perceived to have political connections.