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The Tema Regional Police Command, has embarked on number of measures to abate crimes committed with the aid of motor bikes in its jurisdiction.

According to a statement issued by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Paul Awini, Tema Regional Police Commander, “The security situations in the region from January 1, to today can be described as relatively calm except for the increasing use of motor bikes to commit crimes”.

“We are embarking on an education drive to intimate to stakeholders on the need to be alert, look out for and report all suspicious motor riders to the Police for necessary action.”

According to him, all units have been briefed, empowered and directed all patrol teams, snap check points and those on motor bike patrols to be involved in the operations both during the day and night and to arrest and search all motor bike riders that ply through their areas of operation.

“A planned massive operation to impound unregistered motorbikes and those with fake documents or number plates is in the offing.

“We have cultivated and engaged informants among the motorbike riders and other stakeholders to help police with timely, factual and reliable information that will lead to the arrest of the bad ones amongst them.”

The statement said: “We are soliciting your support and urging you to be part of the operation by broadcasting what we have shared here today and to continuously serve reminders in the form of news to readers, viewers and listeners of your media houses.”

Recounting some of the robbery stories, he said on January 23, at 0800 hours, a 38- year- old sales agent of Armani Manufacturing Company Limited in Tema Industrial area was riding a motor bike from Ashaiman Lebanon to his office with a hand bag, containing cash of GH₵24,811.00 with five different cheques and a voter’s ID card.

On reaching a distance of about 100 meters to the office, unidentified men also riding a motor bike from opposite direction suddenly attacked him, hit the back of his motor bike, pulled a pistol on him and took away the bag with its contents.

In a similar incident, on March, 19, the purchasing manager of non-ferrous metal factory at Shai Hills was on board Mutsubishi pickup with registration No. GE 4065-14 driven by his personal driver Justice Agboso from Accra to the factory at Shai Hills. 

On reaching a section of the road near Gedar Quarry junction Afienya on the Tema-Akosombo road at about 2:45pm, suspect the driver of the Mitsubishi pick up  Justice Agboso suddenly stopped the vehicle and informed complainant that two young men on motorbike from behind gave him a  signal that the vehicle had a flat back tyre. 

The driver pulled over and the two young men rushed on the complainant in the vehicle, pulled a knife at him, wounded and robbed him of cash amounting to GH₵90,000.00.

The Complainant was treated and discharged the same day.  “Suspect driver Justice Agboso as we speak is in custody.”

“On March 20… at about 0730 hours, two assailants on a yellow and black motorbike armed with an AK 47 assault rifle stopped, shot and killed deceased Nene Teiku Pataaku III, the chief of Sota near Dodowa, aged 57 years in charge Toyota Corolla Private car No. AS 6784-14 with Peter Tomotey Chartey aged about 32 years and Fred Kwaku Teye aged about 65 years on board. 

Six bullets were found to have perforated in and out of the car and it is suspected these bullets killed the victims. Seven spent AK 47 shells were retrieved from the scene.  The case is under investigation.

He said following from this changing trend in motorbike crimes, the Regional Police Command undertook an assessment of the security situation in the region, the effectiveness of existing operational strategies and devised tactics to contain the security challenge. 

The operational tactics would involve clamping down on use of unregistered motorbikes and those without the right documentation.

He said fighting crime is a shared responsibility and that results in fighting crime are best achieved when all hands are on deck.

“We entreat the…public to partner with us in this regard by alerting and providing the police with timely and accurate information,” the statement said.