Accra’s streets to be rid of child beggars- police reveals
The Greater Accra Regional Police Command has cautioned that it will soon begin a series of operations to rid child beggars off the streets of the capital, Accra.
It is evident that, streets in the major parts of Accra like Madina, Osu, Ridge, Achimota and Lapaz, among others, are inundated with child beggars, most of whom are believed to be nationals of other West African countries.
The Police Command alleges that these children are brought into Ghana from neighbouring countries by some Ghanaians to be used for “commercial begging”.
Speaking to Accra based Citi FM, the Director of Operations of the Accra Police Command, ACP Kwesi Ofori said his outfit is determined to flush out these miscreants.
“At the moment, you might have seen a lot of children from other West African countries on our streets. There are contractors who bring [them to Ghana] and place the children at vantage points. The Accra Regional Police Command will be looking into that.”
“The street is littered with children. Sooner or later, we will be descending on the contractors who go to neighbouring countries to bring the children, collect the money and in the end benefit,” he added.
In the past, city authorities made efforts to eject street children and beggars from the streets of Accra. However, such previous efforts did not yield much success and the streets are still a business haven for beggars.
For instance, children believed to be from Niger and Nigeria were picked up from some ceremonial routes, streets, under bridges, and in traffic, begging for alms from benevolent individuals in special exercise organized by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
