KAKATA, Margibi – The Liberia National Police has ended a daylong dialogue aimed at strengthening mutual relationship between the community and the police in Kakata.

The gathering was meant to exchange ideas amongst the citizens and the police in order to ensure a violence-free election in October 2017.

The dialogue, among a series of nationwide gatherings sponsored by the United Nations, brought together over 100 participants from the community including local community leaders, commercial motorcyclists, and civil society organizations.

According to the local head of community policing in Margibi, Seah Monboe, a major part of the police’s strategy in maintaining a violence-free election is engaging the community on the maintenance of peace.

“We will take this campaign to the schools, the churches, and the mosques,” he said.

Sieh Monboe, head of Margibi Community Policing. Photo: Emmanuel Degleh

Friday Crusoe, the head of an organization representing civil society organizations in Margibi, commended the police for what he called a worthy initiative.

He said the police’s engagement in an initiative that is usually done by the civil society in Liberia is a new way of doing things and that civil society organizations “must join to make sure that our 2017 election is peaceful in the wake of UNMIL’s drawdown.”

Crusoe further noted that the pending UNMIL drawdown now gives Liberians the responsibility to preach the message of peace throughout the country during and after the elections.

Margibi, Liberia’s fifth populous county with approximately 209,000 people, has 76 police officers. Inadequate manpower and the lack of logistics have over the years made it difficult to maintain peace.

Featured photo by Emmanuel Degleh