Crime up 100% – BPS – lorlornyofm | A Subsidiary of ViDoF Company Limited

Click Here To Open FileThe Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) has revealed that the first-quarter of 2019 has witnessed more than 100 per cent rise in the rate of crime compared to the same period in 2018.

“Crime increased by over a 100%, followed by 10% for transportation-related incidents, and 7% for violent crime,” the BPS stated in its 2019 first quarter Ghana Public Safety and Crime Report released on 22 May 2019.

The report said January 2019 recorded the highest public safety events.

“Total public safety events recorded increased from 102 for the 2018 period to 145 for the 2019 period representing 42 per cent. For the same period in 2018, the death toll increased from 74 to 88 in 2019 representing a 19 per cent increase”.

The report said that violent crimes dominated all cases in the month of January 2019 as well as January 2018, a comparative increase from 28 per cent in January 2018 to 33 per cent in January 2019.

A total of 32 cases were captured under the transportation category as compared to 29 cases over the same period in 2018. This represents a 10 per cent increase, with a resulting 315 casualties across the country, representing another 44 per cent increase in the total number of casualties – that is deaths and injuries.

The number of casualties for 2018 stood at 219.

The report criticised the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) for its failure to ensure effective safety measures on the roads despite the heavy funds channeled to its office.

“The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) continues to be the single largest benefactor of government’s financial support and foreign aid for interventions in the realm of road safety in Ghana, yet there is very little to show [in terms of] achievements as evidenced by the year-on-year statistics on driver performance and road crashes across the country,” the report explained.

The Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) was also cited for its laxity in fighting road offences.

It said the MTTD which is mandated to enforce law and order on the road per the Road Traffic Act, 2008, (Act 761), “appears severely challenged to enforce very obvious and basic road violations”.

The report said the MTTD has largely resigned to looking the other way when road and traffic offences are committed by “collecting tokens from offending motorists”.

In its recommendation, BPS advised that there be a swift implementation of the spot-fine system to “instill a significant amount of discipline on the road”, which, it noted, will ultimately have a positive impact on crash and casualty statistics.

Also, BPS advised that there be a conscious and deliberate deployment of law enforcement personnel to notorious sections and intersections of Ghana’s highways and city centres, especially during busy periods.

Attached is the full report.

Source: Ghana/ClasFMonline.com/91.3FM