Many reports these past few days indicate one crime or the other being committed. Recently, a man was said to have invaded the house of one of the ministers of state. This man, it is said, was angry because thieves broke into his car and stole some valuable items. This angered him to an extent that he wanted to lash out at government officials.
One can also observe that there has been a recent surge in crimes in the country. This could be linked to a number of reasons not least the biting economic hardships that have been going on. The cost of living has skyrocketed and the earning power of the people has remained the same.
In a recent revelation, the Gambia Police Force said that most of the crimes committed are not committed by Gambian citizens. This means that the Gambia Immigration Department has a lot of work to do in making sure that anyone entering the country is thoroughly screened to ensure that those with criminal records who have a tendency to commit crimes are not admitted into the country.
This calls for more collaboration between security agencies in the sub-region. If anyone who comes to the borders is simply let in, there is likelihood to attract all sorts of people and in the long run, the peace and stability the country is known for will be eroded.
Perhaps the Ministry of Interior through the Immigration Department and the Gambia Police Force should be more proactive in crime prevention. A database of all residents should put on place so as to know who lives where and does what. It is the duty of a Government to protect the lives and properties of its citizens. Studying crime statistics is intended to map out ways of reducing it.
Now that the police have done this analysis it should help them put mechanisms in place that will prevent the recurrence of some of these crimes. As indicated earlier, one way of going about it is collaboration with security agencies in the neighboring countries.
