A Feature by DCOP (Rtd.) David Senanu Eklu
Accra, Aug 12, GNA – On the evening of 5 August 2026, armed men stormed a mobile money kiosk at Fiapre, near Sunyani in the Bono Region, and opened fire.
Two people died and three others were wounded before the attackers fled with an estimated GH¢30,000. Nine suspects have since been arrested, and police say the search for others continues.
That attack followed two other headline-grabbing operations weeks earlier. On the Portor-Gurumpe Highway in the Bono East Region, police recovered GH¢300,000 stolen from a cattle trader and arrested six suspects — among them the trader’s own driver, who investigators say tipped off the gang because he knew his boss was carrying cash.
And in Accra, Tema and the Ashanti Region, the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service rescued 33 victims of human trafficking, mostlylured from Nigeria with promises of legitimate work but were forced instead into cyber-enabled fraud.
These are commendable efforts by the police, which reflect the professionalism, vigilance and determination of the security agencies in protecting lives, rescuing vulnerable persons and bringing suspected offenders to justice.
Every successful operation strengthens public confidence and deserves recognition.
Yet beyond these headlines lies a more fundamental question.
What can we learn today to prevent others from becoming victims tomorrow ?
This question sits at the heart of what is believed tobecome Ghana’s next frontier in public safety: preventive security communication.
Traditionally, security communication begins after harm has already occurred.
We report arrests, investigations, court proceedings and convictions.
We count the victims, assess the losses and commend successful operations.
These reports matter, but they are largely reactive – they explain what happened after the damage is done.
Preventive security communication asks a different question. Instead of stopping at “What happened?”, it asks: “What warning signs existed, and what practical lessons can help citizens avoid becoming the next victims?”
Take the Fiapre attack for example; beyond mourning the dead and commending the arrests, there is a public-safety lesson mobile money agents and their customers can act on today.
This is to avoid predictable routines, vary the time and route of cash pickups, keep visible cash to a minimum, and agree on a distress signal with nearby traders and police before trouble starts, not after.
The highway robbery carries its own lesson, and it has nothing to do with strangers on the road. It was an inside job.
Businesses that move cash regularly, including traders, contractors, church and school bursars, should ask who else knows when and how much cash is moving, and tighten that circle.
Trust is necessary, but so is discretion.
The trafficking case speaks directly to families and job seekers. What recruitment tactics did the traffickers reportedly use?
What should a young person recognise in an online job offer that sounds too generous, or an employer unwilling to explain the role clearly, before they travel or hand over a passport?
These are not questions for the police alone. They are questions for all of us.
A safer society is built not only through effective law enforcement but also through informed citizens who recognise risk early and take sensible preventive action.
This is where the media can make an even greater contribution.
Imagine if every major crime report concluded with a short section titled: “How to Reduce Your Risk.”
Imagine if cybercrime stories routinely explained common fraud tactics alongside practical online-safety tips.
Imagine if trafficking reports consistently highlighted recruitment warning signs and support services, and robbery reports reminded traders, drivers and mobile money agents of practical precautions.
Such an approach would not diminish the news value of a story. It would increase its public value by turning information into prevention.
This is the essence of preventive security communication. It complements traditional reporting by helping people to understand not only what happened, but what they can do differently.
Importantly, this is not about creating fear or shifting blame onto victims.
Criminal responsibility rests squarely with those who commit criminal acts. It is about empowering individuals, families, businesses and communities with practical knowledge that reduces vulnerability and strengthens resilience.
The same philosophy extends beyond crime. Fire outbreaks, flooding, road crashes, workplace accidents and online scams often show warning signs long before tragedy strikes.
Consistently highlighting those signs and promoting simple preventive measures can make public communication one of the country’s most effective safety tools.
This calls for stronger collaboration among security agencies, journalists, educators, civil society organisations and communication professionals.
Enforcement and prevention are not separate activities; they are complementary pillars of public safety. One responds to threats, the other reduces the opportunities for those threats to succeed.
As Ghana strengthens its national security architecture, perhaps it is time to broaden the conversation.
Success should not be measured only by arrests made or victims rescued. It should also be measured by the crimes prevented, the people who recognised a warning sign in time, and the communities that acted before danger escalated.
Every arrest is a victory for justice.
Every rescued victim is a victory for humanity.
But the greatest victory of all is preventing the next one.
That is the promise of preventive security communication, and it is a conversation whose time has come.
(DCOP David Senanu Eklu [Rtd], CPP [ASIS International] is the Founder/Executive Director of the MISORNU Safety Centre ( [email protected]), NGO promoting a Safety-First Mindset through preventive security and safety communication, research, and training).
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe