The Ashanti Region has been named as the region which recorded the highest number of murder cases in the country in the year 2021.
The Ghana Public Safety and Crime Report for 2021 which was released on Sunday, April 10, 2022 stated that “Ashanti Region is the murder capital of the country, returning 23% of all homicide cases reported across the country in 2021.”
According to the 17-paged report, there was a 100% change regarding crime cases which resulted in deaths.
In 2020, 6 deaths were recorded but the number increased to 12 in 2021.
However, deaths that resulted from violent crimes increased from 283 to 435 with a percentage increase of 53.7%.
The Bureau also indicated that “Central Region dominated reported aggravated assault cases across the country.”
According to the report, 23 percent of all aggravated assault cases reported for the period came from the Central Region.
The Ashanti Region, together with the Greater Accra Region were reported to have the highest incidents of armed robberies in the country, with each region returning 19% of reported armed robbery in 2021.
Meanwhile, “violent crimes reported in Y2021 increased by 40.8%, and reported associated deaths also increased by 53.7% over Y2020.”
Statistics showed that murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault were the top three most reported violent crimes in 2021.
While noting that violent crimes such as armed robbery and homicide cases occurred more frequently on roads and highways, and other transitional spaces than in homes, the BPS said efforts to educate the public about situational awareness and dangers in transitional spaces, and community policing cannot be over-emphasized.
It further recommended that “state-mounted CCTV cameras should be deployed, and footage occasionally released to the public to promote awareness and serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals.”
