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Liberia: Citizens Decry Armed Robbery
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The Analyst (Monrovia)
23 April 2008
Posted to the web 23 April 2008
Liberians residing in Monrovia and its environs have begun holding meetings on how to bring to an end the growing wave of armed robbery activities which according to them are underpinning free movements as well as making the entire country an unsafe.
The citizens from over 20 communities in Monrovia and its environs including West Point, Paynesville, Gardnerville, Brewersville, Old Road and several others met for the first time on Saturday at the Monrovia City Hall to look at the issue of armed robbery, a serious national nightmare.
The meeting was facilitated by Grand Kru County Representative in the National Legislature Gbenima B. Slopadoe
Addressing the meeting, he told the citizens that the essence of such gathering was to discuss the growing wave of armed robbery activities in Monrovia and its environs, and seek citizens' input as to what they could do to protect themselves.
Rep. Slopadoe, who chairs the House Standing Committee on Labor, informed the citizens that the Liberia National Police is incapacitated to curb the situation, and that there was an urgent need for them as citizens to take the responsibility of protecting themselves.
He said the issues of armed robberies have placed the country on a troubling edge. This, he said, has the propensity to scarce away potential investors. He requested citizens to design measures and strategies that would help to entirely abolish the criminal activities.
The citizens, most of whom are leaders in their respective communities claimed there are victims of armed robbery. Speaking at the meeting, most of the citizens thanked the lawmaker for the initiative and described the growing wave of armed robbery as a threat to peace.
The citizens noted that armed robbery activities were at a high peak in the country because the punishment for armed robbers is weak. Most convicted armed robbers are often released after maybe spending less than a year in jail.
They are proposing a legislation that would make armed robbery a non-bailable crime and goes with life imprisonment. Some who also spoke at the meeting lashed at human rights activists for not doing much to speak against this ugly deportment.
Others claimed human rights activist were giving grounds to armed robbers by defending them when arrested by the police. Besides, they blamed weak law as one of the factors responsible for the growing wave of armed robbery.
The robbers usually regroup themselves and get at their victims who testified against them, and proposed that there was a need for speedy trial for armed robbers. The citizens told the lawmaker that they were living in constant fear, at the mercy of armed robbers.
"Most of the suspected armed robbers dwell in the communities with us and are in the business of selling narcotic drugs," the citizens noted, also expressing the need for the police to begin demolishing ghettos.
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The five-hour meeting with the people also agreed to setup a task force comprising of five member committee dividing the entire city and its environs into five zones with a task to organize the various communities that would lead to the creation of community neighborhood watch team. The Task force is expected to make its report back to the citizens in a week time.
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