The Tema Regional Police Command recorded 4,056 crime cases in the first quarter of the year, as against the 4,912 cases during the last quarter of 2009. The figures indicate a reduction of 856 in the number of crime cases reported at the Regional Command, Chief Inspector Olivia Turkson, Tema Police Public Affairs Officer, made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday. Chief Inspector Turkson said the Tema Region covers the Tema Metropolis, Ashiaman Municipality, Dangme East and Dangme West districts. She gave the breakdown of the cases as robbery; 51, rape; 10, defilement; 49, murder; six, possessing of narcotic substances; 14, threat of death, 256 and stealing, 1,272. Chief Inspector Turkson said other cases reported were assault; 1,498, unlawful entry; 21, offensive conduct; 56, possessing fake currency; 5, fraud; 310, attempt to commit crime; 12, act tending, 10 and eight abduction cases. She noted that out of the total cases recorded for the fist quarter, 102 were refused for lack of evidence and other reasons. The Chief Inspector attributed the reduction in crimes to the ability of the police to foil robbery incidents through intelligence gathering. She said frequent searches and swoops at hideouts of criminals by plain clothed police personnel contributed immensely to the reduction in the crime rate in the region. She added that road blocks, snap checks and patrolling of the township also played a vital role in the reduction of cases. Chief Inspector Turkson reiterated the resolve of the Ghana Police Service to reduce crime to the barest minimum, and called on residents to partner the Police to clean the region of criminals by volunteering information on their activities Source: GNA