By Tabora Bojang

The Council of African Descendants COAD, on Sunday met the Gambia Police over safety concerns after a number of murder cases affecting their members.
COAD comprises people born outside the African continent who have now chose to return to Africa and in this case,The Gambia.
The community has been campaigning for the government to grant them citizenship but in recent years, a number of their members fell victim to murder and other forms of violent crimes.
Dissatisfied with the slow pace of investigations in to these crimes, COAD decided to meet the police to directly address their concerns to them.
At the meeting, police spokesperson ASP Modou Musa Sisawo, who represented the Inspector General of Police, admitted that crime and violence is a threat to national development and the daily functions and businesses of the people. “People have to be assured of security to be able to come to The Gambia, stay and invest, and since it is our mandate to make Gambia safe for everyone, we will continue to initiate proactive and vigilant measures to safeguard the country’s peace and security,” Sisawo said.
The COAD members also used the opportunity to ask for answers from the police on various issues of concern to them including delays in investigations of crimes against their members, measures in place to protect children and women, police emergency response mechanisms, patrols, awareness for safety and crime prevention and reporting mechanisms for inappropriate police conducts.
In response, PRO Sisawo explained that the police high command is taking a holistic approach to tackling crime by coming up with consistent daily and night patrols, continuous capacity building on crime detention, revival of the human rights and professional standards unit, and inauguration of a new forensic lab to enhance its investigation capability.
He explained that plans are underway to operationalise the police emergency line, 117, with a monitoring center. Sisawo also lamented some constraints faced by the police such as mobility challenges and inadequate resources.
The police PRO advised the community to avoid openly displaying their properties in certain ‘notorious’ areas to prevent attractions, and to be in groups when visiting suspected areas and report suspicious activities to the authorities
COAD chairman Luke McKenzie expressed gratitude to the office of the IGP for accepting to partake in the session. He said they are encouraged by the response and commitment of the police to provide them a safe and inclusive environment. Luke highlighted that fighting crime is a shared responsibility and that members will do their utmost to cooperate with the police and support them with the necessary expertise to combat crime in the country.