The police in Ho are on high alert, following the sudden and phenomenal surge in break-in and stealing cases in the municipality in the past four weeks.
About 30 suspects have, so far, been arrested in the regional capital for such offences during the period.
Out of the figure, 12 had been convicted by the courts to various prison terms, while the other cases are being investigated vigorously.
Mr Alex Yeboah, Assistant Superintendent of Police in-charge of the Ho Municipality disclosed these to the Ghanaian Times in Ho at the weekend.
He said that it was more disturbing that the perpetrators were very young people whose ages ranged between 16 and 22.
Furthermore, the criminals used offensive weapons such as guns and machetes during their raids and often targetted female university students in their hostels or rented rooms, Mr Yeboah said, adding that the suspects were all male.
Mr Yeboah assured that the police in Ho had the capacity to deal with the criminals squarely. “We will continue to be swift and very ruthless with them day and night and process them for court without delay.”
The municipal police commander expressed profound gratitude to the law courts in the municipality for their quick and resolute convictions, and the severe sentences they handed down to the culprits in recent time, saying that the trend of firm judgements from the courts was definitely helping to curb crime in Ho.
Mr Yeboah revealed that one notorious gangster who was involved in multiple robbery cases in the past nine months in Ho was last week Friday caged for a total of 33 years by the Ho Circuit Court.
He appealed to the public to volunteer information to the police on the presence and activities of criminals in their areas for immediate response, and assured that the identities of informants would always remain confidential.
“Ho is expanding rapidly and for that matter cases of crime will also go up, and so let us fight the menace collectively,” Mr Yeboah stated.
FROM ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI, HO
