Police-community relationship crucial to fostering Peace -NCCE

Mr Joachim Elbazar, the Nabdam District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has underscored the need for a stronger relationship between the Police and community members in the fight against violent extremism.He said the community served as eyes and ears of their neighborhood, and a good relationship between them and the police would offer invaluable insights for detection of early warning signs to mitigate the activities of violent extremists.That, he said, 'would help safeguard the peace of the country and create an enabling environment for development to thrive.'The District Director made the remarks when he addressed residents of the Gundork Community in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region during a police and community dialogue session to build trust and cooperation between the two.It formed part of the European Union-sponsored programme, dubbed, 'Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) in the Northern Regions of Ghana,' being implemented by the NCCE .The engagement aimed at creating awareness about violent extremism and facilitating activities to engender security consciousness, social inclusiveness, community cohesion, and situational awareness among the citizenry to enhance peacebuilding for sustainable development.Mr Elbazar emphasized that neighboring countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have faced significant extremist threats, and given the porous borders in the northern part of the country, it was important that civilians cooperated with the Police to combat crime.Chief Inspector Samson Dinabah, the Nabdam District Police Commander, reiterated that the core mandate of the Police was to protect lives and properties, and the support of community members was crucial in carrying out such functions.He noted that the current population of the country mapped one Policeman to 1, 500 civilians, and without the support and role of community members providing information to the police service, it would be difficult for them to function satisf actorily.'So, when we say we are your friends, it is not for nothing; it is a call on you to see us as people you can confide in and cooperate with us to combat crime to ensure a safe environment for you to go about your normal duties,' he added.Madam Georgina Aberese-Ako, the Upper East Regional Acting Director of the Department of Gender, indicated that the essence of peace was to enhance development and improve the living conditions of people, and education was a vital tool in ensuring that.'As parents, you must endeavour to send your children to school when they are of school-going age, as stipulated by the 1992 Constitution, because the benefits of being educated are enormous, and denying your children education is simply jeopardizing their future,' she added.Mr Isaac Wulug, the Assemblyman of the Zanlerigu Dagliga Electoral Area, thanked the Commission for the engagement and urged the community members to give the Police the needed support to ensure peace and order.Source: Ghana News Agency