Heed the IGP’s call!

THE Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, is reported to have cautioned Ghanaians against the practice of raising false fire alarms and bomb threats. The police chief’s warning came in the light of the fact that some unscrupulous persons were taking advantage of the alarming fire outbreaks in the country to create panic and fear among the general public.

THE IGP made the call at the annual get together of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra recently. To this end, Mr Tawiah Quaye tasked CID officers to try and get information that would identify those who engage in such activities.

TO say the least, it is disturbing to hear nowadays that people would deliberately put out false information about fire outbreaks and bomb threats in the public domain. This practice is not only bad, but also gives criminals the chance to carry out their nefarious activities.

WHAT is worrying to us on Today is the fact that the practice is fast spreading across the entire country. And we believe this should be a great concern to all of us. Ghanaians are not noted for this kind of activities. That is why we at Today are very worried that raising false fire alarms and bomb threats is gradually rearing its ugly head into the Ghanaian social fabric.

WE were all in this country when somewhere in January this year around 12 a.m., midnight information went round that Ghana would be experiencing a major earthquake. Coincidentally, that was the same period that a major earthquake had hit Haiti with many feared dead.

MANY Ghanaians in their anxiety to escape the earthquake that never happened ended up deserting their homes and sleeping on streets and parks. Mothers with their new born babies had to run from the rooms to seek shelter in open places to escape the earthquake.

IT is in this respect that we believe that CID officers must take the call of the IGP seriously. These are things which must not be toyed with at all, especially as it is becoming part and parcel of our society. The police need to ensure that prudent steps and real intelligence are gathered to apprehend persons who engage in such acts.

THE public can also play its part by volunteering information of people who raise false alarms to the law enforcement agencies for the necessary action to be taken. We need to understand that such unscrupulous characters do not live in vacuum.

WE must not allow such bad practices to become part of our culture. Thus the earlier we find ways of dealing with them the better it will be for our country.