The arrest of two persons by the Marine Police Unit (MPU) in Tema a few days ago for smuggling into the country a number of pistols is a feat which once more brings to the fore the issue of arms smuggling into the country and their proliferation.
The proliferation of small arms did not start today and might not stop anytime soon unless there is a concerted action against the dangerous occupation by criminally-minded persons in society.
It is a task which cannot be undertaken by the security agents only. All hands must be on deck.
Today, hardly do robbers embark upon their daredevil missions without arming themselves with automatic weapons, foreign ones of course.
Some of these weapons, considering their caliber, will definitely not be registered by the relevant authorities. So how do they find their way into the arsenals of criminals?
Berretta pistols and other firearms including assault firearms such as AK 47 are used with reckless abandon by criminals who would not hesitate to pull the trigger in their bid to rob their victims of their belongings.
Even cattle herdsmen who we would not have associated with firearms possession now own them. Indeed, it is said that many of them regard such possessions, illegal of course, as a matter of right and importance. Unfortunately, some of these weapons find their way to wrong hands and used for criminal activities.
Time has elapsed when locally-manufactured firearms were the weapons of choice by robbers. The criminals now regard investment in firearms as an impetus for their criminal occupation and so acquire firearms they should not own.
We are beginning to witness the interception of such smuggled weapons at our borders but that notwithstanding some bad elements manage to sneak in with some as it occurred at the Port.
Our security would be greatly compromised when we close our eyes to the continued smuggling of weapons into the country by bad elements in our society.
Only persons who have no regards for the national security would turn their attention from the subject of firearm smuggling.
With our porous borders and the penchant by evil minded persons to make money and big time by hook or crook regardless of the security fallouts, we must change the mode of response otherwise the criminals will not run short of weapons.
There are still many unregistered weapons in the hands of non-state players which is why there is an underground market for them. This is a dangerous reality which must be addressed forthwith.
Our security personnel, especially those at our frontiers, must be encouraged to be more vigilant, their logistics challenges notwithstanding. The issue of weapon smuggling should be fought with all our hearts and energy.
As a shared responsibility all as stakeholders must provide necessary and credible information to the security agencies about unregistered weapons in the hands of non-state persons.
We can recall the turbulent days of a few months ago when armed criminals created the impression of overrunning the country. Â Â With resoluteness on the part of the Police Administration, that has somewhat abated. It does not mean however that the weapons are no longer in the hands of non-state actors, illegally.