Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Chief Inspector Augustine Kingsley Oppong, the Regional Police Public Relations Officer said the Police had designed a strategy “Operation Oil Spot Strategy” in response to several reports of criminal activities in some communities in the Sunyani Municipality, the Sunyani West District and the region in general.

He mentioned Fiapre, the Catholic University, Asiakwaa, Kuotokrom, Airport, Yawhima and Bakoniaba as some areas that were experiencing robbery almost every day.

Chief Inspector Oppong said the Command by that strategy had positioned itself to crack down the activities of criminals and therefore cautioned miscreants and illegal drug dealers to desist from their nefarious activities to avoid facing the wrath of the Police.

He expressed concern about some juveniles who were involved in criminal activities and appealed to parents to advise their children “who are well-known criminals” to refrain from such acts because they would be dealt with by the law if they were caught.

Chief Inspector  Oppong  entreated  the general public to  put security codes on their phones and  also some  identification marks on their machines  for easy identification and collection in case of  stealing.

He asked the public to take closer look at people they come across in their communities, especially strangers to be able to give vivid description to the Police in any event of criminality.

Chief Inspector Oppong called for the revival of defunct neighbourhood watchdog committees (NWCs) and formation of new ones in areas without exiting ones to complement the efforts of the Police in protecting lives and properties.

He said by the NWCs, “we become each others’ keeper” and urged the general public to use burglar proofs and other protective materials to ensure their doors and windows were safe and secured.

Chief Inspector Oppong added that there must always be somebody at home to protect the place because the Police could not be everywhere in the society for lack of personnel and resources.

Meanwhile, a number of residences at Berlin-Top, a suburb of Fiapre near Sunyani have appealed to the Sunyani West District Assembly to provide street lights to help check, minimise and if not total prevention of the rate of robbery and stealing incidents in the area.In an interview with the GNA, some landlords, landladies, business men and women as well as civil servants residing in the locality lamented that not a day or two passed without hearing of either a robbery or stealing incident.

They attributed the situation to the absence of street lights that had created advantage for criminals who were using uncompleted buildings in the community as their hideouts.