Revealing whistle-blowers bread police-community mistrust – Chief

Naa Wasa Roger Yirzagla, the Chief of Chetu community in the Sissala West District, says the action of some personnel of the Ghana Police Service in revealing of the identities of whistle-blowers is breeding mistrust between the police and community members.He said the police ought to desist from that act if it would build trust with the community members in the fight against crime in society.Naa Yirzagla said this at Fielimuo in the Sissala West District during a dialogue between the Ghana Police Service in the district and the community members to enhance their collaboration in promoting peace in the area.The dialogue was organised by the Sissala West District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) under the 'Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism action in the Northern Regions of Ghana' project funded by the European Union.Traditional leaders and elders, assembly members, unit committee members, women leaders, religious leaders, youth representatives and members of t he community attended the dialogue facilitated by the Ghana Police Service.Naa Yirzagla urged the police 'to immediately put a stop to the practice of revealing the identity of people who volunteer information on criminal issues happening in the community especially those committed by wealthy individuals in the community.'He also appealed to the police to desist from what he described as 'unnecessary harassment and extortion of monies from business people in the name of enforcing the law on wearing of crash helmets by motor riders.Naa Abu Nuri, the Upper West Regional Programmes Officer of the NCCE, said the activity was aimed at improving police-community relations and building confidence for collaboration in promoting peace.He added that it was to create a platform for the police and the communities to interact to defuse suspicion and build trust needed for effective law enforcement and community safety.Mr Mustapha Iddrisu, the Sissala West District Director of the NCCE, stressed the importance of community resilience and joint efforts in preventing violent extremism.He emphasised that building trust and understanding between security agencies and community members was necessary for building resilience against that phenomenon and said the dialogue session formed a significant step towards achieving that.'It is a platform for open and constructive conversations between the police and community members towards deepening understanding, fostering collaboration, and developing proactive strategies to promote peace and security', Mr Iddrisu explained.He urged community members to exhibit shared determination to civic responsibility and dedication to community welfare to safeguard the peace and security of the country.On his part, Mr Kobzie Abdul-Kayum, the Assembly Member for Filemuo Electoral Area, appealed to the District Police Command to increase its personnel in Fielmuo to enhance police visibility in the area.He noted that as a border community, Fielmuo had many unapproved roots to Burkina Fa so and needed more police officers to man those borders.The discussions at the dialogue centered on issues, including local factors contributing to vulnerability to extremism and the role of the police and communities in preventing violent extremism in the area among others.Source: Ghana News Agency