Murder cases increase by 17%
Ghana has seen a 17% rise in suspected murder cases in the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
In the first three months of 2021, 144 people were allegedly killed, a sharp rise over the 123 recorded in the previous year.
Minister for the Interior Ambrose Dery, who shared the worrying statistics assured that the government was committed to justice for all the deceased, including high-profile murders such as those who passed during the 2020 elections.
According to him, the government was committed to investigating every criminal offense to its logical conclusion.
Commenting on the development, Security Analyst, Adib Sani said the rise in murder cases was a combination of issues.
“One of the issues has to do with our inability to prove crime and poor investigation processes in the country…it will interest you to know that most of these investigations are done manually,” he stated.
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According to him, it was time Ghana used modern technology like DNA databases and biometrics to fight crime.
“We have heard stories about ritual killings and if we are serious about fighting these things, we should go beyond arrest and prosecution and make the conscious effort to take a closer look at the human insecurity or certain socioeconomic and geopolitical deficit in our society that pushes people into committing murders as means to survival,” he added.
The security analyst called for more crime labs and professionals in the police service for such investigations.
“The police are the first point of contact in murder cases but here is our police service crowded with a lot of unprofessionals who contaminate the crime scenes and tamper with evidence,” he told Joy News.