By Emma Black
In a renewed push to enhance public safety and proactive policing, the Community Relations Department and Operations Unit of the Kenema Police Division have intensified community engagement efforts in Kamara Town and the Burma community, launching a strategic crime prevention outreach campaign.
The initiative, spearheaded by Police Constable Musa Kallon, Community Relations Officer for the Division, aims to promote stronger collaboration between law enforcement and residents, particularly during the rainy season when criminal activities are known to spike.
Speaking during the session, Constable Kallon emphasized that policing in today’s world cannot be effective without the active involvement of the communities being served.
The number of community members far surpasses that of police officers. Your vigilance, cooperation, and willingness to report suspicious activities are critical. Every citizen has both a legal and moral obligation to help in preventing crime, he said.
Inspector Mohammed Corneh, widely known in Kenema as 500, echoed this sentiment, commending community leaders and residents for their commitment to peace and order. He noted that the rainy season often presents increased opportunities for criminal activity due to reduced visibility and accessibility.
“Now is the time to treat community policing as a collective responsibility, we must remain alert and responsive to any signs of crime or disorder,” Inspector Corneh urged.
He further called on local leaders to nominate trustworthy and responsible young people to serve as Community Safety Volunteers. These volunteers, he said, would receive basic training and act as vital links between the police and their neighborhoods, enhancing response times and intelligence gathering.
Community chiefs, elders, and other local stakeholders warmly welcomed the police engagement, describing it as both timely and essential. They pledged their support to the volunteer initiative and thanked the Kenema Police Division for taking proactive steps to involve the community in crime-fighting efforts.
The outreach session concluded with a dynamic question-and-answer session where residents raised concerns about specific security challenges and offered constructive suggestions for strengthening police-community collaboration.
This latest effort by the Kenema Division forms part of a broader strategy to build trust, improve neighborhood watch systems, and ensure that local policing remains responsive, inclusive, and people-centered.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday,16th July, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
