“Safety has to be everyone’s responsibility… everyone needs to know that they are empowered to speak up if there’s an issue.” – Captain Scott Kelly
I witnessed a spectacle yesterday afternoon which has really set me thinking about the safety of our society.
In front of Ecobank along the Ndabaningi Sithole Road within the North Labone Housing Estate of Accra, I chanced on a naked mad woman yesterday violently pushing a woman into the main drain and immediately run away.
Attempts by security men attached to the banks were unsuccessful in reining in the woman. When they brought out the woman from the drain, she was very badly bruised and her apparel soiled due to the contents of the drain. It was really surprising that Labone of all places could be the place for such an embarrassment. I have been an active resident of that neighbourhood for over twenty years and I could not imagine that spectacle taking place then. What has changed since?
On my way to the office this morning, I needed to purchase fuel so I drove into my usual Goil Service Station along the Cantonments Road in Osu. As the fuel was being dispensed, an almost mentally challenged middle-aged man walked into the station. His first thing was to draw close to one vehicle that was also purchasing fuel. The man muttered some words to the driver who (for whatever reason) decided to roll up his window glasses.
Just then, this man moved a step back, opened the back door and took an item from the back seat. It took the timely intervention of one of the fuel attendants who quickly snatched the item from this man and handed it to the driver. My dear friend, I kept wondering what the attendants were going to do to the mentally-deranged man. Interestingly, beyond taking from him the item he had attempted taking from the vehicle, he was left to go.
As I drove on, I kept pondering over the state of our capital. There are all manner men and women who are clearly mentally unstable all over the city and behaving in a very unrestrained manner. Have our State authorities not noticed that the presence of deranged men and women on our streets have increased in an alarming proportion over the last couple of years? What have they done about the menace?
My dear friend, are you aware that unlike the fact that if a mentally-deranged person attacks you, no Court of Law will try him or her, when you self-defend in case of an attack and hurt or cause the death of the deranged person, you will be committed to a prison sentence. Has any thought about the risk in deranged persons raping unsuspecting persons (even at knife point, etc), and other social vices?
It is for such and other reasons that the State has a responsibility to make society safe by ensuring that such elements that render society unsafe are either property attended to or kept in various facilities for general public good. Therefore, if a society has all kinds of legislation and institutions of State whose mandate are to render our society safe to enable citizens go about their lives freely, then there is a real problem.
Yet in the midst of all of this my dear friend, we have several agencies of State whose mandate is to keep such people in check, ensure that they are offered the mental health support the need to recover and be rehabilitated. Their mandate is also to ensure that our society is rendered safe for citizens to go about their daily lives without let or hindrance. We have the Mental Health Department of the Ghana Health Service; Mental Health Service; Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; Social Welfare Department; Ghana Police Service; the respective Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies; etc.
Beyond the menace of deranged persons, have you noticed dear friend that we have all kinds of items being paraded on sale at our road traffic intersections. For many years, items on sale at such places by hawkers were small chops, drinks and largely souvenir items such as key rings, flying ties, belts, etc. over time other items joined the bandwagon. Today, as you drive across the city, you will notice that the items on sale along our highways now include very dangerous items such as cutlasses, tasers, pepper spray, jack and pen-knives, etc.
Another danger that is fast spreading into a canker in our public space are children that loiter at road traffic intersections. Most of them are aged under twelve and sell minor things such as tooth pick, cotton bud, etc while others simply beg for money. What makes this phenomenon dangers are the fact that most of them are foreigners who do these things under the watchful eyes of their parents usually perched under trees not far from the operating spots. About a year ago while in traffic, I witnessed a driver ahead of me in the night, who was being harassed for money by a very light-skinned little girl from one of the Sahelian countries. When the man refused, the girl forcefully hit the driving mirror till it detached from its hold. Time was about 10.00pm thereabouts and the man couldn’t have afforded getting out. He had to just move on to avoid any further threat. Has any one thought of where these street children and their mothers take their bath, where they sleep, etc?
My dear friend, one of the evenings in November 2024 while driving home at about 10.30pm, I got to the Neoplan intersection at Achimota. The traffic lights were red so I stopped, the only car at the intersection. From nowhere, this gentleman in his 30s drew closer to me holding about five cutlasses on sale. How on earth could sharpened cutlasses be on sale at that dead of night? Clearly, I didn’t feel safe and had to speed on even though the lights were yet to turn Green. Since that day, I have always contemplated the extent of public safety in our country.
While at this, can someone tell our MMDAs that the cities and towns are simply too dark. Ghanaians pay for street lighting as part of their Electricity Bills and the State owes us all not just the provision of lights but ensuring that the lights remain lighted all evenings.
Most of the policies of the new government of Ghana led by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama are anchored on the running of a 24-hour economy where productive sectors operate round the clock. However, if citizens of the society are unable to enjoy peace and safety even during the day, how will they be able to enjoy same in the thick of darkness when street lights do not exist, when State Security are unavailable and where armed robbers operate brazenly?
As Pete Buttigieg put it, “Safety and security are the most basic job of government. I understand that – both as a mayor who works every day to secure public safety and reduce crime”.
It is about time our State authorities rise up to be counted. We need a working society that provides safe, peaceful and congenial environment for its citizens to think and productive for the good of our country!
My dear friend,