NCCE HOLDS POLICE/COMMUNITY DIALOGUE IN KAJELO 3rd JULY, 2024

 A police-community dialogue session to help build trust and cooperation between the two parties has taken place in Kajelo in the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.  The dialogue meeting held this Wednesday afternoon at the Baloo Junior High School park, formed part of efforts by the National Commission for Civic Education [NCCE] in engaging communities nationwide in the prevention and containment of violent extremism. 

A Section of The Community Members

The intervention, dubbed Preventing And Containing Violent Extremism [PCVE] is under the sponsorship of the European Union and is being implemented by all metropolitan, municipal and district NCCE offices in Ghana. The Kajelo dialogue had a total of six communities in attendance. They included Kayilo, Biba, Baloo, Navem, Batiu and Nabio.

In his welcome address to start the day’s proceedings, the District Director of the NCCE, Mr. Robert Dampare observed that, violent extremism still poses a significant threat to national security, community stability and individual safety noting that, this usually thrives on fear, mistrust and extensive divisions. He said with Ghana’s immediate neighbours like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger already being hit with significant extremist threats from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS and who have indeed, suffered some deadly consequences, it becomes even more pressing than ever before for the country to be on high alert.

Mr. Dampare also noted that, the ever-present porous borders in the region especially in the northern regions of Ghana, allow for the easy movement of extremists and weapons and so border communities like Kajelo, Nakolo, Kayoro and the security agencies must constantly cooperate and work together to forestall any occurrences.

NCCE Dir., Mr. Dampare Speaking At The Event

According to the NCCE Director, the PCVE has the objective of creating platforms where officials of the Ghana Police Service, other sister security institutions and communities will interact to defuse suspicion and rather build trust so as to improve police-community relations and confidence. It further seeks to ensure that everyone feels heard, respected, and valued in the process of preventing and fighting crime and any forms of violent extremism.

It is also to facilitate open and honest communication about the signs of radicalisation, the nature of extremist threats, and effective ways to counteract them.

Officers from the Paga Commands of the Ghana Immigration Services [GIS] and the Ghana Police Service [GPS] who were in attendance made presentations at the meeting. ASI Issifu Awal Tobingale of the GIS, advised the public especially people in border towns against sheltering undocumented foreigners and other suspicious characters as such persons could be members of extremist groups who can easily radicalize citizens and use them to carry out attacks in the country. Officer Awal also urged community members not to indulge in inciting the public against lawful authorities. 

ASI Awal Making His Presentation

He noted that it is always mutually beneficial to have healthy community-security relations as this will make the fight against crime more coordinated and swift.

For his part, Inspector Dramani Mahamadu who is the Station Officer with the Paga Police Command, called for peaceful co-existence and tolerance among the citizenry regardless of their various affiliations as these are ingredients for a peaceful country and for democracy to thrive. He warned that the use of violence and force to get people to accept and follow one’s ideology, religion or political party is against the laws of the land and the police will not countenance such acts of illegality.

Inspector Mahamadu also touched on the country’s 2024 elections and entreated the general public not to trespass any parametres that will be set on election day so as not to fall into trouble with the law. He gave the assurance that the police is always ready and equipped to safeguard and provide the needed security for the country’s polls.

When the forum was opened for contributions from the communities, the people of Kajelo called for routine police patrols in the area to ward off possible terrorists and other people with any criminal intent as a major road linking Burkina Faso to Ghana runs through the communities. Meanwhile, they also complained of prolong response times whenever they call the police to report crimes in motion to which, the officer responded that the command was in talks with the Upper East Regional Police command for a dedicated vehicle to handle patrols in the district including the communities in Kajelo.