The Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), has described as questionable, the arrest of some 215 persons in relation to recent attacks on bullion vans.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Monday, Prof. Kwesi Aning said the police must clarify whether the arrest of the suspects is solely in connection with attacks on bullion vans or persons accused of other crimes are involved.
“First, are all these over 200 people related to one crime or they are people who have been known to be criminals and have been roped in, in the hope that they will provide some form of intelligence?” he asked.
Prof. Aning’s comment comes after the Greater Accra Regional Police Command announced that it has arrested over 200 people who are believed to have information about perpetrators of recent attacks on bullion vans during a swoop on their hideouts.
The security expert opined that if all the arrested suspects are related to the same crime, then the quality of police intelligence must improve. This is because, ‘in any operation, the more people get involved, the easier the chance for information to leak.”
The Academic seized the opportunity to re-emphasise the need for the Police Service to communicate strategically.
He had earlier, on JoyNews’ Newsfile Saturday, urged the Police to employ the services of a professional communicator in their public communication to ensure that messages are couched in a manner that calms the public and encourages the public to collaborate in solving the current spate of crime that has brought about anxiety among the populace.
“The language and choice of words coming from the Service will need the support of a professional communicator,” he stressed.
He added that members of the public must be served with information that is reassuring of their safety.
“The way in which this has been presented in the media creates an impression that all these over 200 people are related to one single crime. But whatever it is, let the Police Service continue to provide the public with the information that they need to begin to feel safe and secure. Hopefully, this will encourage the public to provide whatever intelligence that they may have, ” he suggested.
The Security Analyst urged the police to provide regular updates on the prosecution of these persons.
