Car theft was the most reported crime in Ghana in 2009
- According to a survey carried out in four Metropolitan Assemblies in Ghana, car theft was the most reported crime in Ghana in 2009
- 83.3% of households that suffered car theft reported to the police
- Of the five most prevalent crime types recorded in the survey, some victims decided not to report to the police.
According to the Ghana Victimization Survey report by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) car theft was the most reported crime in Ghana in 2009.
The survey which was carried out in four Metropolitan Assemblies in Ghana is the maiden edition. The metropolis are Sekondi-Takoradi, Accra, Kumasi and Tamale.
It is the first of its kind to be conducted in the country. It is a pilot study designed to facilitate a broader understanding of crime and its burden on the citizenry.
83.3% of households that suffered car theft reported to the police the report said. Other crimes frequently reported were car hijacking (67%), theft of motorcycle (44%), car vandalism (25.0%) and assault/threat (17.9%).
With the exception of theft of motorcycle where all incidents are reported to other agencies, the proportions of victims who reported to authorities other than the police remained relatively small.
The survey also showed that 39% of the respondents reported theft from cars to the police with the intention to recover property and 23% reported basically for insurance.
15% percent reported crime to the police because they believe crime should be reported and another 15% wanted offenders to be caught. The survey revealed that, the main reasons for reporting burglary to the police included the fact that victims wanted offenders to be caught and punished (31%), to recover property (27%) and believe crime should be reported (25%). Less than 2% of victims reported burglary to the police for help.
Crime against the individual respondents that received the highest attention of other agencies other than the police is assault/threat (4%).
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Of the five most prevalent crime types recorded in the survey, some victims decided not to report to the police. This was based on a range of factors.
Among the factors they considered are that the police could do nothing, the police could not be trusted, fear and dislike of the police. A section also said the crime is not serious enough to merit reporting to the police.
Others thought it is inappropriate for the police to know or solve the problem themselves, or report to other public or private agencies or should be solved by the family.
Nevertheless, the decision about whether or not to report crime depend on the nature of the crime experienced.
The survey also brought to the fore that approximately half of the respondents (47%) are cheated when buying something or requesting services.
The 2009 Crime Victimization Survey in Ghana was carried out in four Metropolitan Assemblies - Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TMA).
During the survey, interviews were conducted among a representative sample of the population in the four areas. People were asked whether or not they have been victims of crime in the past five years. Different crime areas were considered, including theft of livestock, assaults, corruption and consumer fraud.
This article is extracted from a Ghana Statistical Service survey on Crime Victimization. The general objective of the study is to collect information on citizens’ first hand experiences in crime and criminal justice.
Source: YEN.com.gh
