Public Agenda (Accra)
6 October 2008
Accra — The Ghana Police Service has engaged some members of the Nima, Mamobi and Newtown communities in a sensitization programme to educate them on the need to maintain law and order at all times.
The programme, which was held at the Nima Social Centre on September 25, 2008, deliberated on general matters concerning the security of the Nima/Mamobi/Newtown communities, the formation and support of Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and crime prevention strategies.
The programme was attended by stakeholders in the area including opinion and religious leaders, chiefs, politicians as well as some business persons.
After taking the people through comprehensive and elaborate lectures on the basics of the community policing concept, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Community Policing Unit at the Police Headquarters, ACP Florence Arthur urged them to complement the efforts of the Police to fight crime since they could not do it alone.
She hinted that the programme was a pilot one and that plans were underway to extend it to other communities.
The Nima District Commander, DSP Aduhene Benieh, who gave an overview of the security situation in Nima, called on members of the community to assist the police and the Neighbourhood Watch Committee to fight crime, adding that the concept of Community Policing attests to the fact that the police intends to reach people at their doorsteps in crime prevention and fighting.
On her part, ASP/Mrs. Marian Osei-Adu, Staff Officer at the Community Policing Unit, clearly spelt out the Dos and Don'ts of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee and called on the people to hand over suspected criminals to the police and desist from instant justice, to avoid "creating their own police stations."
The Hon. MP for East Ayawaso, Major (Dr.) Alhaji Mustapha Ahmed (rtd), lauded the idea of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee and called on benevolent organizations and individuals to help sustain it by donating the needed logistics.
Alhaji Salisu Baba, NPP parliamentary candidate for East Ayawaso, also urged the members to scrutinize donations made to the Committee to avoid taking contributions from criminals and drug barons, since that could compromise their position.
The chairman of the Ayawaso Council of Muslim Chiefs, Alhaji Imoro Baba Issah, expressed delight about the cordiality between the Neighbourhood Watch Committee and the police and also urged the people to endeavour to assist the police since it has limited personnel.
He, however, cautioned the people against unnecessary interference in the operations of the Watch Committee.
Also at the function were members of the Community Policing Unit at the Police Headquarters, chairman of the East Ayawaso Sub-metro and Assembly Member for Kanda, Hon. Justice Boateng.
Others are Hon Hajia Damata, an Assembly Member, and Executives of the Nima, Mamobi, New Town and Kanda Neighbourhood Watch Committees.
Members of the Nima/Mamobi Association in New York were also represented by their president, Abdul-Salam Chamba.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Public Agenda. 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.
