Tamale, Dec. 31, GNA - Alhaji Abdulai Harruna Friday, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) has advised the Community Police taskforce in Tamale to embark on their duties with commitment to help protect life and property. "Re-dedicate yourselves to duty and make New Year resolutions that will enhance your image and role as partners in the protection of lives and property in your communities to promote peace and development," he said. Alhaji Friday gave the advice on Thursday in a meeting with members of the Community Police in Tamale to listen to their concerns and to discuss possible ways of working out a package that would improve their living conditions.

The MCE would also consider possible ways of repairing the sinking image of the community police in the Tamale metropolis under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), always referred to as "Zoom Police", and in whom a section of the public had lost confidence. Alhaji Friday said the community police unit of the NYEP was backed by the state and stressed the need for them to comport themselves to win public confidence since their presence on the streets served a good purpose. He advised them to re-write the necessary examinations to meet standard requirements so that they could be integrated into the regular police or other security services to improve their status. He said members of the public were watching and monitoring their activities and advised them to desist from extortions saying, "Such characters will not be tolerated within your ranks and you should not hesitate to report them to protect your image." During an open forum, some members commended the MCE for coming down to their level to explain things to them and gave the assurance that they would carry out their duty with due diligence to win public confidence and to justify the creation of the community police. They appealed to the MCE to use his influence and role to explain the concept of the community policing under the NYEP to the public since many people in the metropolis had branded them "Kufuor Police" and were regarding them as members of the former NPP administration. They said the situation was dumping their spirit in the work and that it was necessary for chiefs and other traditional rulers to accept their roles as community police so that they could discharge their duties creditably. 31 Dec. 09