As CJPS Conducts Training
By Tokpa Tarnue- tarnue82@gmail.com
VOINJAMA, Liberia- The Center for Justice and Peace Studies (CJPS) with support from the UN Peace Building Fund through the United Nations Development Program, the UNDP has begun series of capacity building for Community Watch Teams members, local leaders and community members in the northwestern Lofa County.
The training being conducted in Foya, Voinjama, Quardu Gboni, Zorzor and Salayea districts, is meant to strengthen the capacity of youth and women-based Community Watch Teams (CWT) and local authorities. It is also intended to prevent conflict through establishing community forums to identify and discuss community violence prevention, human rights approach to community policing to reduce mob and electoral violence in partnership with the police.
Speaking to Journalists at the training center in Voinjama, the program manager at the Center for Justice and Peace Studies Francis S. Konyon said the training is part of an eight-month project with support fromthe United Nation Development Program the UNDP titled, “Promoting Peaceful Electoral Environment and Community Security” named and styled “Strengthening Community Action for Peaceful Election and Development in Liberia (SCAPED)”.
The project according to Manager Konyon is being implemented in 30 different communities across Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, Nimba and Lofa Counties respectively.
The project seeks to support community actions as a way of maintaining the peace while at the same time identifying potential triggers of mob and electoral violence and finding ways as communities to resolve such violence, he said.
Buttressing Police efforts
Community watch team members benefiting from the training are expected to buttress the efforts of the police in keeping their various communities peaceful at all times.
Participants were drawled through the dos and don’ts of community policing including the referral pathway for reporting crimes in the communities as well as human rights approach in community policing amongst others.
He said, the project could be extended to other communities based on what he called positive results from the current phase of the program.
As a means of motivations, participants were provided with some materials including: touch lights and batteries, mega phones, T-shirts and caps, etc to enhance their ability,
For his part, Lofa County Assistant Commissioner of Police Superintendent Bob Jackson expressed appreciation to the Center for Justice and Peace Studies (CJPS) and her partners for the level of support to the Liberia National Police, the LNP.
Superintendent Jackson said the LNP has been seriously challenged over the time especially in the areas of training opportunity for members of various community watch team members across the county.
He further challenged those community watch team members to return to their respective districts and pass on the additional skills they acquired from the training to other watch team members.
Meanwhile, the commissioner of Quardu Gboni District has underscored the need to support the various watch teams across the country at large.
Commission Seleke Kamara of Quardu Gboni district said the role of the community watch team is very cardinal in promoting a peaceful environment.
He said in the absence of support from national government to the watch team, communities through their local leaders need to stand up and provide the necessary support while advocating with central government.