By Kemo Kanyi
Commissioner Landing Bojang, Crime Management Coordinator of the Gambia Police Force, has disclosed that the Gambia is still one of the countries registering minimal crimes according to the Global Crime Index.
He made these remarks at the press briefing held at the Ministry of Interior in Kotu on Saturday.
Mr Bojang said crimes are more reported now than before, but that doesn’t signify that ‘we are registering more crimes.’
“And then as far as we are concerned, if you go by the records of the crime rate. Is not as high and Gambia is not among countries registering the lowest crime rate according to the world crime indicator,” he said.
According to reports, the seventh-safest country in Africa in the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) ranking was issued in 2022.
In another report by The Globe Aware Adventures in Service, Gambia is ranked one of the ten safest countries to visit in Africa their 20th June 2023 publication.
Commissioner Bojang highlighted many crimes that are reported to the police, investigations revealed that they are mostly organised crimes. “Sometimes, those who reported these crimes will be the very ones involved in it.”
He urged the media to follow up on these reported crimes to get the public aware of what transpired, which will also point out the work of the security forces in these crimes.
“I mean, like in the news or the papers if they put up the subject matter of happening. They need to make a follow-up also to know the outcome of what has happened, but most of the time, it is not like that. It will be reported as a subject matter, but the outcome will not be known by the reporters. So it is left like that. Gambians are thinking that the security components are not making any effort, and it’s different. Because it’s on it’s covered. It’s uncovered and this should be uncovered by the media,” he pointed out.
He stressed that the security of the country is doing its utmost to make sure all citizens and inhabitants of the Gambia are safe, while urged for attitudinal change among the general public.
“The security components are doing their best to make sure this country is secure. If something is to be added, there is to say that the public needs to change their attitudes because crime is at the doorstep of everyone, and people are not coming out with information.
If you hide a crime at your doorsteps happily, and you are safe, remember your next neighbour is affected, and you’re keeping quiet with it, thus is not right,” he emphasized.
