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THE TEMA Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Paul Manly Awini, has urged foreign nationals, especially the Chinese in Ghana who have genuinely acquired registered firearms, to use them for their personal protection against criminals.

According to him, owning firearms without using them when criminals attacked was meaningless and tantamount to putting their lives in danger; hence, the need to at least fire warning shoots whenever they came under attack.

“Criminals are the most fearful people in this world and if you cannot even shoot at them just make an effort to fire a warning shot into the air and you will see them running away,” he advised.

It has been estimated that most of the about 1000 Chinese nationals in Tema, who have acquired firearms from the police, prefer keeping them in their wardrobes than using them, their reason being that it is an offence to possess a weapon in China; hence their reluctance to use the guns for their protection.

Most guns which were retrieved from criminals who were nabbed by the Tema police were registered in the names of foreign nationals. These guns were allegedly seized by robbers from the foreigners after robbing them.

Security Forum

DCOP Paul Awini made the statement at the second security sensitisation forum organised for Chinese nationals in the Tema Region. The forum was themed, “Enhancing the Personal Security of Chinese Residents in Tema Region: The Role of the Ghana Police Service and Chinese Community.”

The Regional Commander reminded the foreigners to abide by the laws governing the country and operate within the confines of the law. “They should obey road traffic regulations and those in the fisheries business must ensure that they operate according to the Fisheries Act,” he stated.

He cautioned them about fraudsters who might come under the pretext of transacting business, urging them to be circumspect about the kind of people they engaged in business transactions.

According to him, “proper background checks must be carried out before engaging them in such dealings to avoid loss of huge sums of monies that could have been avoided.”
Touching on the purpose of the forum, he explained that it was a proactive policing measure the police had adopted to curb crime in the region.

According to him, the adoption of the proactive policing strategy was informed by the complexities and changing face of security in the world and Ghana for that matter.

The Regional Commander was optimistic that the proactive policing strategy would help identify underlying problems that could be tackled to prevent crime.

Investor Confidence

For his part, Counsellor Wang Sheng, who spoke on behalf of the Chinese Ambassador, H.E. Ambassador Sun Baohong, was worried about the constant armed robbery attacks on Chinese nationals in Ghana, saying that the security situation was negatively affecting the confidence of Chinese investors.

He was therefore excited about the forum organised by the Tema police and urged other regions to replicate same to enhance security.

“The regular workshops will play a vital role in improving the efficiency of the police, ensure local social harmony and stability and promote sound economic development,” he noted.

Counsellor Sheng assured the police of the embassy’s necessary assistance to intensify support to police in Tema to take all measures to protect the rights and interests of Chinese nationals, advising his people to abide by the laws of Ghana, conform to local customs and seek deep integration into mainstream Ghanaian society.

He commended Ghanaians for the warm reception given to Chinese nationals to invest in the country and for tourism purposes.

After the forum, the Chinese Community in Tema pledged to donate 10 motorbikes to help the police beef up security in the Tema Region.