Sustain engagement with public in terrorist-prone communities - Commanding Officer tells security agencies
The Commanding Officer of the Counter Terrorism Department of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Superintendent Adofiem Raymond Wejong, has called for continuous engagement between security agencies and the public, particularly those in terrorist-prone communities, on security issues.
That, he said, would help beef up intelligence gathering in the wake of terrorism threats on the country and contribute to enhancing the preparedness of the security agencies to combat any such attacks.
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He said lessons drawn from cases of terrorist attacks on other countries had indicated that terrorists had become dynamic in their operations, hence the need for the country to embrace diverse approaches in its preparedness.
Chief Supt. Wejong made the remarks at a forum organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra last Thursday to discuss security issues in West Africa as part of its initiative dubbed: “Reflection on security series”.
“It takes the involvement of the people for the security agencies to actually give them the best of security. It goes beyond law enforcement to working directly with them.
“This will not only enhance intelligence gathering but also help us understand the loopholes within the community and respond accordingly,” he stated.
In line with the engagement, Chief Supt. Wejong further called for the periodic training of security personnel in the area of community engagement to enhance professionalism in the engagement process.
“We must engage the populace through more dialogue, but training for the security services is one pillar that can make our security officers, especially the police, professional,” he said.
Security concerns
Following recent terrorist attacks launched by extremist groups operating in Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries, concerns have been raised by security experts and a section of the public about Ghana’s preparedness to combat a potential terrorist attack in future.
In May this year, the Africa Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies (ACSIS), a civil society organisation, issued an alert to the effect that a Salafi Jihadist group based in Burkina Faso intended to launch attacks on churches in Ghana.
Fear gripped the people of Hamile in the Upper West Region when an armed man, who was later identified as a national of Burkina Faso, made his way into a Catholic church in the community in May for an unknown purpose.
We are prepared
Reacting to the concerns, Chief Supt. Wejong said the various security agencies in the country were working closely to “beef up our preparedness to respond well to any form of attack in future.”
In addition, he said the country was also collaborating with its neighbouring countries in intelligence gathering and information sharing as part of the preparedness.
“Terrorists do not go where they want, they go where they can. Unlike in the past, all the security agencies are now working more closely together than before in terms of intelligence, sharing equipment, training, among others,” he stated.
Human rights violations
The Executive Director of the West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism (WACCE), Mr Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, urged security agencies to pay attention to human rights issues when conducting operations at the community level.
He said human rights violations in some countries by security agencies in the discharge of their duties had informed the decision of some persons to join terrorist groups.
For his part, a Research Fellow at the KAIPTC, Dr Festus Kofi Aubyn, urged the government to extend development to all parts of the country because “lack of State presence in some areas can fuel people’s interest in terrorist groups”.