There are mounting concerns over the increasing wave of criminal activities especially armed robbery in the suburb of the city.

An investigation by this paper has revealed that as a result of the increasing wave of criminal activities, many residents are said to be living in perpetual fear, while others have organized neighborhood watch teams to protect their various communities and localities.

The concerns about armed robbery activities came days after it was reported that armed robbers stormed the King Gray Community, during which time they took away some valuables.

It was alleged during that incident, by some residents as was reported by the media, that Police Consultant, Kolubah Yekeh, was part of the incident.

But in a press conference on Monday, consultant Yekeh disassociated himself from the armed robbery attack in the King Gray Community in Paynesville Saturday night.

Yekeh said that he is even mystified over the story as was published in yesterday's New Democrat Newspaper edition, captioned, "Uniformed AK-47 Armed Robbers Wage War," in which it was reported that all residents interviewed on Sunday attested that he, an old police officer, was with the armed robbers during the attacks.

The paper is further quoted as saying that, "the residents said that the men wore new police uniforms, with some carrying new pistols while others stood outside with AK-47 assault riffles."

"That is not my character. But I do not blame them, the Liberians are frustrated over the high rate of armed robbery and the crimes meted against them. It is time that I am relieved from sitting in the office and go out after those criminals because I know them. I know their hide outs," Yekeh intimated.

In his reaction to the new story yesterday afternoon, Yekeh told reporters that since his reinstatement he has not left the office on any field assignment lest to say to be out at night performing official police duty such as being on any crime scene.

He sternly stated, "This is time that the Liberian people will feel my presence in the Liberian National Police and see who Yekeh is. I want to assist the citizens and the police in curbing crimes in the country."

The police consultant said he wants to serve as an advisor in the field not the office noting, "I know them. The ring leader is Lewis Kennedy, who is a notorious prison breaker and is accompanied by Smooth Face and Gio Boy. I know their hiding place in the Wild Fields somewhere on the Kakata Highway."

"They should turn themselves in now or else I will be after them. They are just counting days now in carrying out their acts but I want the citizens to understand that in order to curb crimes, we should collectively do away with politics and join together in the interest of saving this nation from such spill-over crimes," Yekeh concluded.

Meanwhile, the former Information Minister in the late Samuel Doe government, Reverend J. Emmanuel Bowier, has made a passionate appeal to the Government of Liberia to immediately deploy the newly trained officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) along with the Joint Security to curb the growing wave of crime in the country.

Rev. Boweir made the statement yesterday when he appeared as a studio guest on the Truth FM Radio Breakfast Show.

Speaking further, the former Information Minister said due to the prevailing crime rate in the country, the government needs to act swiftly by deploying the newly trained (AFL) soldiers along with officers comprising the Joint Security in a bid to curb the high rate of crime.

Rev. Bower said he finds it very difficult to comprehend that Liberia has trained and qualified men and women of the AFL sitting in their respective barracks doing nothing while their people continue to die indiscriminately.

He said once these officers are deployed along with other securities, Monrovia and its environs including other parts of the country could be divided into blocks where every point, would have detail commanders with perfect coordination to prevent crime. Rev. Bower further explained that if President Sirleaf sees issues of obstacles that have the propensity to spell doom for the nations and its people, she could use her Executive power on certain national issues that could bring relief to the people.

Speaking against the back drop of the current armed robbery bill before the House of Representatives for the act to be passed into law making it non-baillable, he challenged President Sirleaf that while the issues are been discussed like any other major issues she should use her Executive power instantly.

Meanwhile, Rev. Bower has made another appeal to President Sirleaf to empower the Joint Security by making government vehicles supposed to be parked after working hours to be turned over to the Joint Security for night patrols.

He said if this is done in collaboration with neighborhood watch teams, it would produce good results.

In a related development, the opposition Liberty Party (LP) says it is disappointed over what it called, "Government's Missteps," in handling the deteriorating security situation in the country. In a statement issued on Monday, the LP expressed concern over reports that some members of the Liberia National Police (LNP), are implicated in criminal activities.

The party said recent comments by Solicitor-General, Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe, calling on residents not to walk the streets of Monrovia alone at night, sounds like the victims of recent mysterious killings from the level of criminal activities taking place in the country, have been persons out in the streets late at night.

The party, said contrary to this, victims of mysterious deaths that are occurring, take place as a results of armed robberies; the brutalizing of peaceful residents and the killing of some of them gruesomely by their attackers.

The LP added that it is disappointed that the government is contemplating re-vetting and restructuring the police when the current force was vetted and restructured less than two years ago.

The party said with the enormous reconstruction needs and the scarcity of resources facing the nation, Liberia cannot ill- afford to engage in a trial and error process in building the police force and other security apparatus.

The party said it supports the government's efforts to control the spread of firearms and encourages law abiding owners of firearms and other weapons to obey the laws governing the possession of firearms.

According to the party, President Sirleaf and Cllr. Gongoloe are quite aware that the government's efforts to enforce the country's firearms laws would be greatly undermined if the government is perceived to be incapable of protecting its citizens.

The party stressed that it is of the view that the perception that the government can not control the security situation, is becoming the prevailing feeling in the country in view of the recent wave of killings.

As a way of dealing with the prevailing security situation in the country, the party advanced a six-count recommendation, which it said the government should implement as a way of dealing with the issue.

The party urged the authority of the LNP to demonstrate a more decisive posture and demonstrate intolerant of criminal behavior. It said with many young people introduced to ruthless violence as a result of the civil war, with many of them not being gainfully employed, the temptation for them to return to what the party called, their only trade they have known for more than 14 years is very high.

The party said recruiting some of these young people and former AFL soldiers in the restructured army would help to curb the current crime rate in the country, stressing that the military must be used as a vehicle for rehabilitating eligible ex-combatants through the discipline and regiment of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL).

The party called for the establishment and the publication of guidelines for UNMIL and the police as well as neighborhood watch teams to patrol the various communities at night in order to ensure a balance between protecting lives and property and safeguarding the rights of movement of others.