General News of Thursday, 1 February 2018
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2018-02-01
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), David Asante Apeatu
Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu has warned the law will deal with any Ghanaian caught hiding behind social media to commit crimes.
The police chief said his men and women are working to apprehend persons behind fraud and other identity thefts carried out on the new media.
At a news conference to unveil the new website of the Ghana Police Service and its social media handles in Accra Thursday, Mr Asante-Apeatu said the police are ready to combat crimes on all front.
Ghana reportedly lost an estimated $50million to cybercrime in 2016, a development financial analysts described as worrying.
The criminal activities primarily carried out in the country are identity theft also known as romance fraud, fake gold deals, and estate fraud.
At least more than 150 people have been arrested for cybercrime in the last three years, police records have shown.
But the police administration has promised to step up its operations to arrest the kingpin behind the string of cybercrimes in Ghana.
The law enforcement agency has launched its social media handles to increase its visibility and accessibility in the country.
“There is a huge potential for us not only to make ourselves visible and accessible on the virtual space but also to leverage public support and share information, gather intelligence and have a constructive online engagement with Ghanaians both home and abroad,” Mr Asante-Apeatu said.
But the IGP had a message for those who are still making money illegally on the internet.
“Those who hide behind the anonymity of social media to commit crimes such as fraud and related identity thefts should desist from such acts before the law catches up on them,” Mr Asante-Apeatu added.