“There should not be a regular pattern of the way you do things – your movements, routes, entertainment joints and even your surroundings,” he pointed out.

He said the situation was compounded by the fact that Ghanaians put their trust in people easily, citing drivers, house helps, garden boys, artisans, cleaners and security persons at home as examples.

“Your personal security is all you do to protect yourself from harm. This means your security at home, at the workplace, in your car and any place you find yourself,” he said.

In an interview on personal safety and security, Mr Yohuno told the Daily Graphic that most Ghanaians were predictable regarding the routes they used, movement at the same time without checking whether they were being followed.

Threats

He said Ghanaians also talked loosely about their businesses, wealth and family issues in the public domain or even at home and workplaces, believing that the people around were harmless.

He said it was very common for Ghanaians to hand over their keys to artisans – masons, carpenters, plumbers, mechanics and washing bay attendants-without any precautions.

“Do not leave the artisans to be alone in your bedroom or home while they are undertaking repair works for you,” he advised.

He said some criminal elements among those people easily and hurriedly made copies of the keys to be passed on to rogue elements who stole cars, entered houses to burgle and steal vital documents or information from offices.

Mr Yohuno said house attendants, especially the young females, became susceptible to providing information to people in the vicinity because they innocently thought they were friends, including boyfriends.

CCTV

Mr Yohuno advised that people could acquire closed-circuit television (CCTV) or secret cameras in their homes and at thier workplaces to enable them to monitor activities while they were away.

He said it was very common for many people to double-secure the entrances to their rooms without taking care of the kitchen door.

He also advised Ghanaians to build relationships with their neighbours and even exchange numbers so that in the event of a robbery attack, “your neighbour will call the police or raise an alarm in the neighbourhood.”