The Director of Community Policing Unit, ACP. Mrs. Gifty Mawuenyega-Tehoda has inaugurated a 59-Member Watchdog Neighbourhood Committee to support the police to beef up security at Darmang- Ahwerease, NoKa, Anoff, and its environs.
According to her, 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 committee is expected to enhance security consciousness among residents and neighbours, encourage citizens’ participation in crime prevention and build a strong informant base to arrest perpetrators.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony held at Darmang-Ahwerease today in Greater Accra, Director of Community Policing Unit, ACP. Mrs. Gifty Mawuenyega-Tehoda reminded the Neighbourship Watchdog Committee that their role as committee members does not permit them to take law enforcement actions, cause unlawful arrest, carry weapons, detain, and brutalize suspects.
She stated that crime in recent times has become sophisticated and due to 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.
She commended the youth for forming the neighbourhood watchdog committee has come at a time when the police-citizen relation is needed to tackle crime.
She however said, “your role is also not to engage in acts of vigilantism that have the tendency to mar this brilliant initiative, but to work closely with the police to abate crime.”
She advised them to eschew acts that would infringe on the rights of people and warned them to stay away from partisan politics.
