Small Arms Commission boss puzzled at public’s incessant desire to possess arms

The Executive Director of the Small Arms Commission says he is puzzled at the increased number of licensed revolvers and pistols by members of the general public.

Jones Applerh said this has heightened crime rate creating fear and panic among citizens.

He said for a Commission that is supposed to help stop the proliferation of small arms, it gets worrying and begs the question on why people would think it best to possess a gun.

“Why are people resulting in guns. Is it that there is a high propensity for violence in our society. Has our society become that emotionless and cruel?”

In an interview on The Pulse with JoyNews’ Gifty Andoh Appiah, he said the 2020 statistics from the Ghana Police Service raises eyebrows.

From January last year to June this year, there has been an increased number of 74.4% people licensing revolvers and pistols in the country.

For him, this makes a symbolic statement that there are “underlining factors that must be addressed.”

This was after the Inspector-General of Police James Oppong-Boanuh ordered the seizure of official weapons and uniforms of a police officer, Felix Gbekle.

The officer was involved in the illegal acquisition of a gun licensed for a suspected thief who is standing trial at a court in Nalerigu in the North East Region.

Investigations into the license revealed that Inspector Gbekle, working with an accomplice in the Tesano Divisional Police, dubiously obtained the license by taking the pictures of the gun, which was serving as an exhibit in the trial, and sending the pictures to one of the police officers in the Tesano Divisional Police command for the license to be prepared and handed to him.

He then took delivery of the license later and handed it over to Musah so that the Court, upon seeing the license may drop charges of unlawful possession of a firearm against him.

But the scheme has been discovered by the North East Police, who are now investigating the Inspector.

Inspector Gbekle was on Monday interrogated at the North East Regional Police Command and he admitted to helping the suspect to procure the license by sending photos to a colleague at the Formed Police Unit of the Tesano Divisional Police Command where he worked formerly.