We are committed to ensuring a peaceful election”- ASP Bless Pomador assures community members

The National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) in the Builsa south district held a community dialogue session on Tuesday 9th July at the Fumbisi market.

The Police/Community Dialogue is one of the activities under the European Union (EU) supported programme, Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) Action in the Northern Regions of Ghana. This activity is aimed at creating platforms where officials of the Ghana Police Service and communities will interact to defuse suspicion and build trust to improve police-community relations and confidence.

The community engagement brought together the District Chief Executive, Elders of the traditional council, the Police Service, Paga Immigration Service, BNI, Youth speakers, Persons with Disability (PWD), political parties, Fulbe (Fulani community) and religious leaders.

The NCCE district director Mrs. Aliko Caroline, in her keynote address reminded participants of the threat violent extremism poses to our national security, community stability and individual safety. She also lamented on the predicament neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger suffer particularly from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

The Builsa South District Police commander; Assistant Superintendent, Bless Pomador, the Paga Immigration Service, the Fire Service, and the BNI also reiterated the NCCE director's keynote address. In their presentations, they all emphasized the looming threat to Ghana's security and the need for awareness and collaboration. They call on the participants to support their efforts by reporting matters and persons of interest as always said in their slogan, “If you see something, say something”.

The traditional council elders also appreciated the efforts of the Builsa South NCCE director's efforts together with the security agencies. They also cautioned the youth against their involvement in vices and other activities that could make the prone to violence. They pledged their continuous support to the commission and all stakeholders to ensure peace, stability and community cohesion, as its custodians.

There was an open forum session where participants asked pertinent questions to the security agencies. The inquiries bothered around issues of security, recent robberies and allegations of corrupt practices. The Fulbe (Fulani) community representatives also raised concerns about stigmatization and discriminatory practices against them as a minority in the community. The security agencies reassured participants of their commitment to professionally discharge their duties as mandated by the code of ethics. They also assured of their support towards ensuring safe elections.

The NCCE director appreciated the participation of community members and their support during the commission's activities. She also shared the continuous support from the European Union that made these sessions possible.

Source: ghstandard