A new and proactive crime combating initiative, dubbed ‘crime fighters’ has been inaugurated in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital with a call on the public to further strengthen their collaboration with the Ghana Police Service in the fight against crime in the country.

The initiative is collaboration between the Ghana Police Service and the British High Commission with support from Vodafone Ghana and MTN Ghana.

It has already been launched in seven other regions including the Volta, Greater Accra, Western, Eastern, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo.

Unlike the existing emergency number 191, crime fighters operate through a confidential number 18555 which offers the general public the opportunity to send confidential information to the police without disclosing their identity.

Performing the launch, a security officer at the British High Commission, Mr. Cillian Walsh said the project had been conceived about two years ago and all the necessary training and logistics were put in place to ensure that crime fighting in the country was proactive than reactionary.

He said it was a model pulled from the United Kingdom police agency and aimed at providing the needed platform that would enable the public to collaborate with police in preventing crime.

Mr. Walsh explained that the whole initiative operates through a telephone line with the number 18555 and this line offers a higher level of confidentiality to the general public when they volunteer critical information to the police.

He disclosed a total of 56 cases have so far been arrested since its introduction in the country stressing that all informants need to do is to dial the number 18555 and then the call is received at a central point at the police headquarters.

Subsequently, whatever information is received is then relayed to the service in the area where the crime is taking place or about to take place. He said it was important to intensify education on the new initiative so as to ensure proactiveness in combating crime in the country.

The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Danso Adei Acheampong said the launch of the initiative in the region was an important milestone in the police service as it would complement efforts of the police at combating crime.

He said crime fighting is not the preserve of the police but all other security operatives, government officials and the general public, adding that the initiative requires full participation of community members. They are to report to the police using crime fighters to report to the police using crime fighter hotline number on any criminal activities taking place in their locality.

Mr Acheampong said there are many benefits that could be derived from the establishment of the crime fighters’ initiative. This he said include reduction in crime security for the public and enhancing of morale of police personnel. He said under the project persons who volunteered information to the service did not come into contact with officers and men and therefore no one can reveal their identities.

B.M.J Seidu