The Accra Regional Police Crime Officer, Superintendent Frank Adufati, has expressed grave concern about the rate at which the courts in Accra have been releasing suspected hardened armed robbers on bail. According to Supt. Adufati, between July 1 and October 14, this year, 26 of such suspected robbers had been granted bail, by the courts with the excuse that there were no exhibits or there was lack of evidence, even though the police provided what he said were sufficient evidence and exhibits. He said when the suspects were freed, they vented their spleen on their victims who identified them at identification parades, as well as police informants. Supt Adufati stressed that most of the suspected armed robbers the police patrol teams arrested recently were robbers who had been granted court bail or were convicts who were given short prison terms by the courts. "Because the courts had been releasing suspected robbers on bail, victims are no longer interested in identifying such criminals at identification parades for fear that they might be granted bail to come back attack them again,” he stated. He cited the case of a prominent lawyer resident at East Legon who died five days after he had had been robbed of his money and valuables and his wife raped before him. The crime officer said when the police managed to arrest the robbers a few days after the robbery and invited the woman to identify the suspects, she refused to do so with the explanation that ''the court would eventually free them and they will come back to kill me". Supt Adufati cited another instance when a hardened armed robber called Takyi, who was granted bail by the Osu District Magistrate's Court for robbery, mobilised his accomplices to murder Police Chief Inspector Nyame in his residence in Kumasi after robbing him of his property. He said Takyi took advantage of his release, on bail to carry out a series of armed robberies in Accra, adding that the police re-arrested him recently when he and his gang were about to rob a popular international footballer at East Legon. He alleged that the suspect confessed that his relatives in Australia sought the services of a lawyer, who has been maneuvering to arrange for bail for him. He emphasised that the activities of some High Court Judges and State Attorneys dampened the spirit of members of the police/military patrol teams, who always left the comfort of their homes to risk their lives in apprehending armed robbers only for them to be freed eventually. He noted with concern that 99 per cent of the armed robbers arrested recently in Accra were not first time offenders, but notorious ones who did not value the lives of human beings. Source: Daily graphic