DOVSSU records 1,995 cases in Eastern Region in 2011

Inspector Martha Blay, the Station officer of the Eastern Regional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVSSU) of the Ghana Police Service, has said the unit recorded 1,995 cases of different crimes in 2011.

She said the cases included defilement, sodomy, rape, assault, non-maintenance and threat of death or harm.

The rest were attempted rape and defilement, abduction, indecent assault, incest, unnatural canal knowledge, criminal abortion, deprivation of property, unlawful ejection, unlawful removal of child, neglecting of pregnancy and child, causing harm, child abuse and child trafficking.

Inspector Blay said out of the 1,995 cases that were recorded in the year under review, only 253 were sent to court and 34 were convicted whiles 702 of the cases had been closed for lack of evidence and 971 still under investigation.

She said 1,995 cases recorded had 1,816 females as victims as against 181 male victims adding that non-maintenance topped the cases with a total of 929, followed by assault, 480, defilement 123, threat of harm and death 97 and abduction 46 cases whiles criminal abortion, abandonment of child and child trafficking recorded one case each for the period.

She said statistics also showed that 1,811 men were arrested as suspects who had perpetrated various acts with only 166 females were also arrested as suspects in some of the cases recorded.

Inspector Martha Blay explained that some of the cases did not have the merit or supporting evidence to be sent to court hence the closure and investigations by the DOVSSU.

Source: GNA