Mr Abdulai Abdul-Mugis, East Mamprusi Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on residents of the Municipality to cooperate with the security agencies to maintain law and order.
He said security was a shared responsibility, and community members, as major stakeholders, had a crucial role to play in fostering peace and maintaining law and order by cooperating with the security agencies of the country.
That, he said, however, could only happen when there was trust, and the security agencies, particularly the police service, created that cordial and conducive environment to enable citizens to report suspicious characters and criminals without fear of their identities being exposed.
The Director made the remarks at the Gambarana Palace in the East Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region during a police and community dialogue session aimed at building trust and cooperation among the security agencies and community members.
The engagement formed part of the Eu
ropean Union (EU)-sponsored project, dubbed ‘Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism,’ being implemented by the NCCE in the Northern Regions.
It 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 Mugis emphasised that violent extremism posed a significant threat to national security, community stability, and individual safety as it thrived on fear and mistrust as experienced in neighbouring countries, and all stakeholders must get involved to avoid such occurrences in Ghana.
Superintendent of Police Francis Adjei Brobbey, the Municipal Police Commander, reiterated the commitment of the police to protecting lives and properties, including the identities of individuals who support the police service with information.
He underscored the need for community members to be vigilant and report suspiciou
s characters, adding they must ‘say something’ when they see something’ to ensure sanity.
Mr Wuntima M. Charinga, Advanced Emergency Medical Technician at the Gambaga Ambulance Service, urged the participants to make good use of the service in emergency cases and not toy with it, as it had the tendency to jeopardise the lives of others in times of need.
Revered Michael Gumah, Chairman of the Inter-party Dialogue Committee, called on the participants to be tolerant of others’ views, as it was the surest way to ensure peace and harmony.
Dr Musah Yamba, a representative of the Gambarana, while expressing gratitude to the NCCE and the security service, indicated that the growing trend of drug abuse in the area was a threat to national security and urged the police to collaborate with the community watchdogs to curb the menace.
Source: Ghana News Agency
