He said while the installation of CCTV cameras within cities play a critical role in finding out the perpetrators of crime, it will not necessarily deter criminals or check crime.
Dr. Jones said the police will need to increase patrol in crime-prone areas, especially places where motorists are vulnerable.
The advice follows a series of recent robbery incidents in the capital Accra, most of which were mostly carried out brazenly in the full glare of the public.
The most recent incident happened near Korle-Bu when a group of robbers in a taxi cab and a motorbike fired sporadically at a vehicle being used to cart money.
The driver of the vehicle was injured, while the police escort and an eyewitness were shot dead in the process.
Dr. Opoku-Ware said, the criminals are becoming sophisticated, hence the urgent need for security authorities to adopt measures that will immediately nib them in the bud.
“CCTV cameras for instance do not prevent the commission of a crime. They only aid in finding out who the perpetrators are. Our focus more should be on preventive or proactive policing. Members of the society are becoming more conscious of the changing times and if you look at the patterns, it should tell you that there is something happening. The crimes are evolving especially robbery. These days they are bringing robberies onto the street because they are finding out that more people are vulnerable when they are in traffic or on the street. I think we must begin to have a system where the police will have more presence on the street. They should be moving more to the congested parts of the city where traffic does not easily flow and patrol those areas,” he suggested.
Dr. Opoku-Ware further cautioned the general public to be extra vigilant as they go about their daily activities.
