Call 191 And 18555 To Combat Crime - Ghana Police Service
The programme 'Ghana Police Watch' focuses on the response of the Police when a woman under attack from robbers urgently calls for help.
Significantly, the programme highlights the critical importance of knowing and using the POLICE EMERGENCY NUMBERS, 191 (TOLL-FREE on all networks) and 18555 for (MTN and Vodafone). Unfortunately, some members of the public interviewed in the programme could not remember these vital numbers.
Crime rates keep rising especially in the urban centers. In response to this, Ghana Police Service, the institution mandated by the constitution to combat crime and protect citizens, has introduced several new measures to combat this, as part of its Transformational Agenda.
The Emergency Command Centres in the Greater Accra, Northern and Ashanti Regions have been revamped to improve emergency response times and to ensure that help gets to victims of crime promptly.
In a moving testimony, “Lawrencia” (not her real name) recalls how she called the Police emergency number 18555 one late evening when an armed robber jumped her wall and tried to force his way into her house. Within 15 minutes of placing the call to the Police Emergency Command Centre, 3 Police vehicles with armed officers arrived at her house, to her utter relief.
She applauds the Police for their swift response, as well as the professional manner by which the officers carried out the emergency response. She also highlights other important lessons to be learnt, apart from remembering the numbers.
She was calm during her call and managed to give the Police all the vital information they needed to reach her exact location. She also left her phone free after her call which made it possible for the Police to call her back as they drove towards her house.
Significantly, the revamped Emergency Command Center has made an impressive impact in the fight against crime across the country and protecting citizens from robbers, mostly armed and dangerous. Before the new centre was opened last year, average 1,500 calls were received from the public every day.
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