The Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP George Alex Mensah has said it is impossible for his outfit to provide adequate\u00a0security\u00a0for every mobile money business in the capital due to what he describes as the alarming rise in the number of operators.<\/p>\n
According to him, it will be difficult for the Police Service, with its limited numbers to man all the ‘momo’ points in order to protect them from attacks by robbers.<\/p>\n
A wave of robbery attacks at Mobile Money joints has hit the country with Accra being the worst affected, considering that hundreds of agents serving many\u00a0Ghanaians either send, receive, or load money into their wallets in the capital.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”WLh5K2cAj5tK8Nkyr1WyV4YXly54287Y”]There is virtually no security at most mobile mobile\u00a0joints, despite the huge transactions taking place in some cases.<\/p>\n
Two persons were recently shot at a mobile money operation point at Busia Junction near Odorkor in Accra in a robbery attack. Several attacks have also been recorded in other regions of the country.<\/p>\n
DCOP Mensah on Point Blank segment of Eyewitness News<\/strong> indicated that the lack of security at most of these operation points is to blame for these recent attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mobile money business is becoming an albatross. The rate at which they are springing up is alarming and they spring up at places which are not safe and I wonder who gives them permission to set up these businesses. These are business ventures and they are dealing with money. Criminals always put their eyes on cash, they prefer to steal cash to property so if you are licensing people to operate mobile money then you have to make sure the place they are going to operate are secure but no one controls that.<\/p>\n \u201cThey spring out at any corner and these armed robbers are just making meat out of them so it is a worry for the Police Service… We have scheduled a meeting with the telecom if we can discuss how best we can at least make sure anybody who is going to set up this money business will have a secure environment. Some of these are even operating on bicycles and these are easy prey for armed robbers.\u201d<\/p>\n Regulation for operation<\/strong><\/p>\n Proffering remedies to the challenges, DCOP Mensah also emphasized the need for the creation of a regulation that will determine the location of mobile money operation points.<\/p>\n This he believes will clamp down on these attacks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe banking sector is such that there is a law that without the presence of an armed officer you cannot open a bank so at the banks, if by 8.oclock, the police officer is not there, you cannot open.<\/p>\n “We cannot man every mobile money joint. There must be a regulation as to where you can operate a mobile money business.”<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Marian Ansah\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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