Communities urged to form neighbourhood watch committees

Anyinamso Number Two (Ash), July 27, GNA - Mr Isaac Adjei, Senior Field Officer of the Atwima District Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has asked communities in the district to embrace the formation of neighbourhood watch committees not only to help fight armed robberies but also to maintain peace in their communities. He said the present numerical strength of the police made it very difficult for them to be able to combat crime effectively and would therefore need assistance and support from the communities.

Addressing a public forum at Anyinamso Number Two in the Atwima District, Mr Adjei, however, cautioned neighbourhood watch committees against turning themselves into the police units to dispense justice and said watch committees should hand over any criminals they arrested to the police.

He advised the people to undertake communal labour regularly since he said it was through self-help that the communities could be developed, adding that the government alone could not develop every community in the country.

Mr Adjei asked the people to pay their taxes promptly to enable the government raise enough revenue for development and called for discipline in the society especially among the youth and students. He advised communities living along forest belts to report the activities of illegal chainsaw operators as a means of preserving the country's dwindling forest reserves.