Christmas celebrations have always been associated with merrymaking. However, it is not every home that celebrates the Yuletide in a very happy mood.
In the past, occasions like Christmas have brought in their wake increases in crime and accident rates.
This year’s Christmas has so far been very peaceful in terms of accident and crime rates.
The fact that there are no reports in the media does not mean there were no incidents of crime and accident in the country.
But we are sure that since these incidents did not warrant media focus, then it means that they have been too minor to attract the attention of journalists.
Prior to the Xmas festivities, the Ghana Police Service deployed police personnel to various parts of the country to combat crime and bring criminal gangs under control.
Christmas does not only bring an upsurge in business activities; it also manifests in increased human and vehicular movements. This situation gives opportunities to criminal gangs to rob unsuspecting people of their valuables.
The police have, through the initiative of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) – Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan – stationed vehicles and police personnel at vantage points in Accra and elsewhere to deter criminals from having a field day.
The action by the IGP has been criticised by a section of the public as a waste of human and material resources, but the Daily Graphic thinks so far, the initiative has been a worthwhile exercise.
Many members of the society are applauding the IGP for the move that has, by and large, deterred wrongdoers from perpetuating their vicious acts on society.
That was not all, but as we approached the Xmas, the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) and other stakeholders intensified their education campaigns to get the motoring public to abide by road traffic regulations.
A few years ago, many homes were in a state of mourning because their loved ones and breadwinners had met their untimely deaths through accidents. But behavioural change can make a difference.
We can change our unenviable record of being one of the countries in West Africa with a very high road accident rate, if we diligently apply the rules governing road traffic in the country.
Very often the public and regulatory bodies are unable to bite hard enough to scare the ‘vampires’ or murderers from the road. We should all muster courage to speak up against reckless driving.
The driving schools and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) have not helped matters either as they certify unqualified drivers, some of them minors, who put the lives of the people at great risk.
Elsewhere, unless you reach a certain level of literacy and age, you are not allowed to drive passenger vehicles. We know our statutes have similar legislation but nobody is prepared to enforce it.
The Daily Graphic is aware that there are many more days to the end of the Xmas festivities and we ought to be cautious in patting ourselves at the back for making the festivities accident-free. All the same we think the police and security agencies have done well to maintain law and order so that we can all stay alive to contribute to nation building in 2014 and beyond.
The Daily Graphic again wishes all Ghanaians the best of the season.
