A comparative analysis of some crime statistics from the first quarters of 2020 and 2021, indicates some improvement in policing except in the area of reported murders.

According to the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, there were 144 murder cases recorded in the first quarter of 2021 as compared to 123 in the first quarter of 2020.

He said the issue needs to be addressed, noting that, “one loss of life in Ghana is one life too many.”

There was marginal improvement in reported kidnapping cases with 26 recorded, and the first quarter of 2021 as against 27 in the first quarter of 2020.

For reported robbery cases, there was a drop from 525 to 495 cases, when comparing the first quarters of 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Reported rape cases reduced from 119 to 97 in the same period, the Minister also noted.

“Another area of concern is the loss of life from road traffic accidents,” Mr. Dery noted, as Ghana has recorded 771 fatalities in the first quarter of 2021.

The National Road Safety Authority has already indicated that this represents a 14.8 percent increase in the number of deaths from road crashes compared to the first three months of 2020.

Mr. Dery was speaking at the National Police Command Conference when he outlined these figures.

He called on the leadership of the service to develop operational strategies to deal with these crimes.

The 2021 National Police Command Conference was organized under the theme ‘The role of leadership in the prevention of violent crimes and Promoting Community safety.