Circle Neigbourhood Watchdog Committee Inaugurated

The Accra Regional Police Command has inaugurated a 14-member Neighbourhood Watchdog Committee to support the police to beef up security at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and its environs.

This is to help get rid of criminals who have used the area as their haven where all negative activities are carried out including stealing of valuables and the sale of stolen items.

The members were selected from the Circle Youth Traders Association (CYTA), formed a year ago, to ensure the welfare of the traders.

The committee is expected to enhance security consciousness among traders and neighbours, encourage citizen's participation in crime prevention and build strong informant base to arrest perpetrators.

At the inaugural ceremony held at the Nkrumah Circle yesterday, the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP George Alex Mensah, reminded the neigbourhood watchdog committee that their role as committee members does not permit them to take law enforcement actions, cause unlawful arrest, carry weapons, detain and brutalise suspects.

“Your role is also not to engage in acts of vigilantism that has the tendency to mar this brilliant initiative, but to work closely with the police to abate crime.”

“Crime in recent times has become sophisticated that the police need to work extra harder and adopt modern community engagement strategies to be a step ahead of criminals and the command would continue to adopt strategies and measures such as intelligence led operations and increasing police presence at crime-prone areas,” he stated.

The Director of Community Policing Unit, Chief Superintendent Reverend Laurencia Wilhelmina Akorli commended the youth for forming the committee. “Circle neighbourhood watch committee has come at a time when the police-citizen relation is needed to tackle crime”.

She advised them to eschew acts that would infringe on the rights of people and warned them to stay away from partisan politics.

The Chairman of CYTA, Mr. Hasheem Hamid called on the traders and business men to help them eliminate criminals amongst them who are tainting the image of traders at Nkrumah Circle.

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By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey