Police Intensify Community Intelligence to Combat Crime

By – Prosper Adaakai

The Bolgatanga Divisional Police Command has intensified community engagement and intelligence gathering to strengthen public safety

It further encouraged residents to share information with security agencies to help prevent crime

Chief Superintendent (C/Supt) Charles Anyamala, the Divisional Commander, said the initiative sought to expand security information flow from communities, and improve the police’s ability to identify and deal with criminal activities

He said the ongoing programme focused on building stronger relationships between the police, other security stakeholders and members of the public

C/Supt Anyamala observed that fear and uncertainty sometimes prevented people from reporting information about criminal activities directly to the police, a situation, he noted made community engagement essential to addressing the challenge

He said the initiative, therefore, involved engagement with various institutions and groups to educate them on appropriate channels for sharing information with security agencies

The Divisional Commander said the Command had reached out to traditional authorities, churches, mosques, business operators, shop owners, drinking bar operators and other groups to encourage participation in maintaining peace and security

He said public safety was a shared responsibility and that every section of society, including the media, had a role to play to help reduce crime

“Everybody has a role to play,” he said, and urged residents to provide credible information that could assist the police to protect lives and property

C/Supt Anyamala said the Command was recording positive results from its community engagement efforts, and attributed the reported improvements in public safety partly to the increasing willingness of residents to share information with the police

He said some individuals who previously hesitated to report criminal activities were willing to provide information confidentially, including information about people they knew, and expressed confidence that continued public cooperation would further support efforts to maintain peace in Bolgatanga and surrounding communities

That, he said helped them to strengthen their intelligence-gathering efforts to respond more effectively to security concerns

C/Supt Anyamala acknowledged the role of the Regional Police Command’s leadership in developing strategies to address crime in the region

Source – gbcuraonline.com