Some inhabitants of the Ashanti Region have expressed varied opinions on a media-based monitoring report that placed the Region as the most violent in the country.
Some of the inhabitants say, although incidents of crime have been recorded in recent times, in parts of the region, there is peace, especially in the vicinity they live in.
According to the report by the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa, out of 86 incidents, the Ashanti Region recorded 24 incidents, representing 28 percent of the total incidents; followed by the Greater Accra Region with 21 incidents.
The report cited some recent incidences of crime witnessed in parts of the Ashanti Region.
A Criminologist with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr. Jones Opoku-Ware says the report reflects the crime situation in the region and called for a comprehensive strategy by the police to deal with the situation.
“I’m really not surprised about that pattern and the observation. Over the period, when we look at the crime statistics, the region tops the chart, especially from 2010, patterns of robbery have gone up over the period.”
“In a recent report, the region was branded as the murder capital of Ghana. This should be a wake-up call for the police. They have to pay close attention in the region and beef up security in the area”.
The monitoring, which was done between June and July, also placed the Bono Region as the most peaceful, with no violent cases recorded.