Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has given assurance to the public that security in and around the Kantamanto Market in the Accra Metropolis would be secured.

He said the Police Administration would beef up the security presence at the Kantamanto market to give both traders and shoppers the peace to go about their normal business.

Dr Dampare gave the assurance during an engagement with the Kantamanto Secondhand Clothing Traders Association in Accra on Friday, December 22, 2023.

The visit was part of the IGP and Members of the Police Management Board (POMAB) direct engagement with the public.

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Indeed, the engagement was a returned visit by the IGP and his management team, and the first of its kind.

According to the IGP, the police would be giving the criminals in and around the market a tough time because they are going to plant intelligent officers and detectives among the traders.

This would help the Police Administration with intel to identify and snoop on the criminals.

Speaking in a Ghanaian dialect, Twi and translated into English, he told the criminals should “be rest assured that we are coming. If you want peace, work hard enough and make your own money. Learn how to sweat to make a living. But if you want the easy way out, we have accommodation for people like you.

We will not end there, our brothers and sisters at the Prison Service will continue to house you to give the public the peace and security that they deserve.”

He also assured the traders that the Police Service will be collaborating with the Ghana National Fire Service to prevent any fire outbreak, urging them to take personal responsibility for ensuring that all electronic gadgets are turned off after use.

The traders were encouraged to take precaution against loose wires hanging all over the market, which can also start a fire.

Dr. Dampare also promised that the police will collaborate with the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to eject traders from the streets at the Central Business District to ease traffic follow.

He urged the traders to avoid carrying large sums of money and make use of mobile wallets or electronic transactions, which require less physical cash on them.

The IGP’s comments were in response to grievances tabled by the leadership of the traders that miscreants are harassing traders as well as shoppers in the markets.

According to them, traders are robbed off their monies or goods that they have purchased from the market to sell.

Charles Ashman,Vice Chairman of the Union, told the IGP and his entourage that the theft case is even worse on market day, Thursday, which an average of 5 million people visit.

He explained that because trading in the market starts as early as 1:00am, a group of bandits from Agbogloshie, Sodom and Gomorrah and other surrounding communities are using it as an opportunity to make the lives of traders and shoppers miserable.

The traders are often accosted by the miscreants to a point where they can be threatened and seize their wares or money.

He added that some of these incidents happen in broad daylights and in the full glare of the public, but any attempt by a pass by or traders around to save the situation, makes one an object of an attack or target.

Due to the number of people who patronise the market on daily basis, crime rate is always high, therefore, the Police Administration was urged to add three more posts to the existing one.

Additionally, detectives or intelligent officers should be deployed to patrol the market at all times.

Other concerns expressed by the traders include logistics constraints of the Railway Police station, drug abuse and peddling, prostitution, corruption of some police personnel, aison, and mobile fraudsters.