The Inquirer (Monrovia)
Melissa Chea-Annan
24 April 2008
Due to the high increase of armed robbery activities in the city of Monrovia, the Liberia National Police, (LNP) backed by the United Nations Police (UNPOL) have increased the number of night patrols in the city and its surroundings to combat criminals involved.
At the same time, the Director of the LNP, Beatrice Muna Sieh disclosed on Wednesday that 18 armed robbers were arrested and three, out of the 18 died, while the rest have been taken to the Monrovia Central Prison.
Although she didn't say where they were arrested and what led to the death of the three, but the Police boss stated that those who are in the police custody would be sent to court shortly upon the completion of their criminal records.
According to her, the number of armed robbery in the month of April has increased, and up to 47 cases were recorded, 40 of which occurred in the city of Monrovia. She also disclosed that during the same period, 16 cases of rape were reported, 11 of which were reportedly carried out in Monrovia.
Giving a statistics of crime reports that occurred this April in the country, the Police bosses explained that three cases of murder/homicide were carried out in Monrovia. They assured the public that with the limited resources they have received from the Government, they are doing the best they could to combat and deal with the crime situation in the country.
Director Sieh, flanked by the Acting Commissioner of the UN Police, Henrik Stiernblad, explained that they have concluded a two-week training with community leaders during which time they designed series of strategies on means of combating armed robbers and other forms of crimes and criminals.
Addressing the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) weekly press briefing in Monrovia, the two heads of the police forces, in separate statements boasted that since they launched their new operation "Thunder Storm", they are making significant progress in dealing with crimes and criminals in the city and its surroundings.
According to them, they have formed blocks with the community leaders and they now have 41 patrols at night to deal with crimes. "For the past two nights, there has been no report of armed robbery. Maybe they are resting and planning on what to do next, but we are also waiting for them because we have something good in store for them," they boasted.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Inquirer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
