Violent crime in Ghana: The case of robbery

This study discusses the trends and patterns of robbery, and reactions to it in contemporary Ghana between 1982 and 1993. It contends that robbery as a crime of opportunity appears to have been prevalent in pre-colonial times as well as during the subsequent period of slavery. Its trends and patterns however, have changed with the introduction of a monetary economy that has resulted in increased opportunities and targets for robbery. The descriptive statistical data derived from official police records conclude that even though the incidence and volume of robbery in Ghana is quantitatively small compared to the rates of other index offenses, and minuscule within the population at large, official reaction to it has been rather swift and merciless, More robbers were executed than offenders in any other category of offenders, save persons accused of preparing to overthrow the government. All the executed robbers were tried by Public Tribunals established by the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) military regime that ruled Ghana from 1982 to 1993. No reason can be assigned to the executions other than deterrence, which raises questions as to its efficacy. Further areas of research, the need to classify the various forms of robberies, the need for the development of policy options, the need for enhanced data collection techniques, and criminal justice reform have been suggested. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.