Authorities declare war on armed robbers

The authorities in Ghana have "declared war on armed robbery and general indiscipline in the society," media organisations reported Defence Minister and Acting Interior Minister Kwame Addo-Kufuor as saying in the capital Accra on Monday. Addo-Kufuor, who met the media shortly after a closed-doors meeting with regional police commanders and senior military officials, said that "a free and democratic society is not one where anarchy reigns." He said that the security services had resolved to make life "uncomfortable" for armed robbers and assured the public that "they are in charge of affairs and would not let anyone disturb the peace." "For me as a sector minister, the greatest challenge facing the nation today is armed robbery and halting this anti-social menace is on my list of priorities," news organisations quoted Addo-Kufuor as saying. The high incidence of crime including armed robbery, drug trafficking, traffic offences and corruption called for "urgent attention", he said. He warned members of the security forces that they could be dismissed for improper conduct. He also directed all local arms manufacturers to report to the inspector-general of police within two weeks to enable the police administration to keep track of their activities. He ordered the chief of the defence staff, the inspector general of police and the national security coordinator to work together to fight armed robbery. The United States government contributed nearly US $300,000 to the government of Ghana in December 2001 to help establish a community policing programme and to improve the counter-narcotics operations capability at Accra's Kotoka International Airport.