Crime rate in Ghana increased by 40.8 per cent, Kumasi tops homicide list
The spate of violent crimes in the country shot up by 40.8 per cent compared to what happened in 2020 the Bureau of Public Safety has revealed.
This research is contained in the 2021 edition of the annual “Ghana Public Safety and Crime Report.
Information in the report suggests that associated deaths also went up by 53.7%, representing a record jump from the previous report.
Also, the Greater Accra Region and the Ashanti Region according to the report topped the chart for the regions with the most number of crime incidents for the year under review.
“Ashanti Region is the murder capital of the country, returning 23% of all homicide cases reported across the country in 2021. Central Region dominated reported aggravated assault cases across the country by returning 23% of all aggravated assault cases reported for the period. Firearm use in the commission of reported violent crime has increased for the third year running, increasing in Y2021 by 57.6% over Y2020,” the report stated.
With the current information pointing out that more than 70% of the top three incidents of violent crimes occurred outside the places of residents of the victims, the Bureau of Public Safety called for public education “about situational awareness and dangers in transitional spaces.”
It also reiterated the need to expand community policing while calling for state-mounted CCTV cameras to be deployed, and footage occasionally released to the public to promote awareness and serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals.
