THE Home Affairs Ministry continues its outreach to various communities to foster dialogue and cohesion between the security force and citizens.
On Thursday, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee and Deputy Commander ‘C’ Division, Eric Bassant, met with residents of Ogle to address issues of community concerns.
Concerns raised by the residents include, non-existence of a police outpost in Ogle, the issuing of firearms licence to CPGs, inappropriate parking of vehicles in the vicinity of schools, treatment of civilians by community policing groups (CPGs) and availability of more police officers at strategic locations.
With regard to the request for a police outpost, Rohee said it would not be feasible to provide each community with an outpost, but with proactive involvement of community members, they can assist in crime fighting.
The community of Ogle does not boast a CPG; hence Minister Rohee encouraged the residents to form one.
“Once we have a group of dedicated individuals to do voluntary work in the evening …we are prepared to work with those people; and incidentally we just don’t encourage people to form a CPG and then leave them on their own, we provide the necessary assistance to the groups and the divisions”.
Minister Rohee related that CPGs members are also given the prerequisite training in fighting crime.
He also urged the residents to become more involved with the police, in gathering information and passing it on to them.  He also alluded to the number of women involved in CPGs, as he encouraged the women at the meeting to assist in the security sector.
With regard to the inappropriate parking of vehicles in the vicinity of schools, an immediate intervention was made to have traffic officers available in the morning hours when traffic is at its peak, to facilitate a safe environment for children.
Deputy Divisional Commander Eric Bassant stressed the significance of residents in reporting incidents. The involvement of the community in assisting the police is of utmost importance he said, noting that without community involvement the police would have a very hard time in bringing those who break the law to justice.
He expressed gratitude to the residents who pointed to areas where crimes are prevalent. The Divisional Commander assured that ranks will be placed in those areas. (GINA)