Audio By Carbonatix
The Acting Director-General of the Ghana Police Service's Public Affairs Directorate has disclosed that a bank worker has been arrested in connection with a recent bank robbery.
ACP Kwesi Ofori told the host of Newsfile on the JoyNews channel on Saturday that an arrest was effected "yesterday [Friday] in Accra, involving a bank worker not necessarily a bank staff...we arrested him, and a lot has happened in that regard."
He said they have already started meeting with banks regarding the security arrangements for customers who come in to transact business.
A security analyst at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Prof Kwesi Aning, who was also on the show, said it is time for banks to start interrogating their staff over robberies involving them.
He believes methodical checks ought to be done on both corporate and personal electronic devices used by the workers there to assess information that might have aided such crimes, if any.
The KAIPTC Director of Academic Affairs and Research Faculty maintains the Police and the banks must adopt rigorous security measures to determine the culpability of bank workers in robbery incidents on persons who may have conducted business at their facilities.
There have been reports of at least four broad daylight robberies in parts of the capital this week. In one instance, the robbers opened fire, leaving a bystander with gunshot wounds.
The robbers in all the incidents made away with huge sums of money.
The brazen nature and style of operation have become a cause for concern for eyewitnesses.
Commenting on the development on Newsfile on Saturday, Prof Aning said, "This lady who withdrew money from the bank, how did criminals know that he had money on her? Are we picking up people within that particular bank, checking their laptops and phone records, or if there is a compromise of such sensitive information to the client."
He added, "Some really critical questions need to be asked to assure us or those who use the banking facilities that the backgrounds of bank staff are checked, secured, and they are routinely also checked again because [this kind of crimes] raises serious fundamental questions because of the gang-style manner in which this operation was carried."
The Police Service has announced that it is putting in place urgent additional security measures in the Greater Accra Region to combat a seeming surge in robbery cases.
ACP Kwesi Ofori said the Police have advised the banks to tell their customers to adopt off-counter service when transacting business involving huge sums of money.
"We are also talking to the banks to know the people who come into the banking hall. Do they have something doing at the counter, and are they coming for a service? Often we find people neatly dressed inside the bank monitoring what is happening even when there are notices all over that that is not allowed," he noted.
Latest Stories
-
Four-year term enough for accountability – Inusah Fuseini
1 minute -
CRC Proposals: We were very mindful not to create problems while solving existing ones – Charlotte Osei
10 minutes -
Ebo Noah’s ‘faith’ or Climate Change: Rains on Christmas eve and day in Ghana?
31 minutes -
Dr Seidu Jasaw commissions CHPS facilities in Chaggu-Paala and Tuosa communities
46 minutes -
Charlotte Osei describes CRC work as “a privilege of a lifetime”
59 minutes -
Livestream: Newsfile discusses Constitution review report and AG’s ORAL drive
2 hours -
Michael Adangba Legacy Music Festival pulls huge crowd for maiden edition
2 hours -
MTN spreads Christmas cheer to newborns in Takoradi hospitals
2 hours -
Kumawu MP celebrates Christmas with drivers and riders
3 hours -
DeThompsonDDT earns six major nominations at 2025 Western Music Awards
3 hours -
Kumawu MP shares Christmas with aged, widows in constituency
3 hours -
Even Dangote cannot escape katanomics
5 hours -
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs files appeal asking for immediate prison release
5 hours -
Come again, Bank of Ghana!
5 hours -
How presidential control has weakened Council of State – Prof H. Kwasi Prempeh explains
5 hours
