The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has issued a stern warning to the public, urging them to refrain from sharing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage of criminal activities on social media platforms.
The GPS believes this approach will hamper its investigations and jeopardise the chances of arresting the culprits.
Director of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, stated that such actions would benefit neither the public nor the service.
She emphasized that it would expedite the process of bringing the perpetrators to justice if the public shared the CCTV footage directly with the police.
“In the event of any incident, instead of circulating the CCTV footage, they should first share it with the police to help in our investigations. Sometimes, putting it out there makes our investigative efforts difficult because if you are a suspect and you know that there is footage of you, it reveals your identity and the like,” she said on Citi FM.
She added that the police had the expertise and the equipment to analyse the CCTV footage and identify the suspects, and that sharing it on social media could alert them and make them flee or destroy evidence.
She also appealed to the public to cooperate with the police and provide any relevant information that could assist in solving crimes.
Therefore, the public is advised to exercise caution and discretion when dealing with CCTV footage of crimes, and to respect the work of the police and the law.