The Agona Swedru Divisional Command of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service recorded a total of 78 defilement cases in the first two quarters of this year, as against 62 cases during the same period last year.
The Station Officer of Agona Swedru Divisional DOVVSU, Police Chief Inspector Philip Arthur, said this at a forum on community level engagement between young people and the Police at Agona Swedru.
The forum was organised by the Youth Bridge Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Accra, and sponsored by Osiwa.
He said the Crime Statistics of the Divisional DOVVSU for non-maintenance cases increased from 63 in 2014 to 85 during the same period this year.
Indecent assault
C/Insp Arthur said indecent assault cases increased from six in 2014, to eight at the same period this year, while child abduction also increased from 11 cases in 2014 to 17 this year.
He said child trafficking cases also went up from three in 2014 to four this year.
C/Insp Arthur advised parents to report all cases related to child abuse, especially involving the girl-child, to DOVVSU and also cautioned them to desist from attempting to settle defilement cases out of the police station.
The Agona West Municipal Director of Department of Social Welfare, Mr Robert Baah, said no child was born to become a criminal and explained that the environment in which the child was brought up also contributed to the habits that child would cultivate.
Responsibilities
He cautioned men against the shirking of their responsibilities to take care of their children, before the law caught up with them.
The Programme Officer of Youth Bridge Foundation, Mr Fredrick Jojo, said the project was aimed at building the future of young people in Ghana through improved juvenile service.
He stated that another objective was to educate the children about the activities of the Ghana Police Service to erase society’s bad impression about the police.
Topics treated at the forum included Youth Perception about the Police; The Proper Handling of Juvenile Arrests to Committal and the Role of the Young in ensuring a Crime-Free Society.
