By Ishmael Mac Kargbo PC 12981 CRD PHQ
The Department of Community Relations under the astute leadership of its Deputy Head Supt. S.S Conteh on Wednesday 27th March 2024 led a team comprising the CRDs of Eastern Police, Harbour Division, Kissy Division, Grafton Division, Waterloo Division as well as LPPB Members in a Community Engagement exercise at the Rokel community.
The exercise was channelled towards sensitising the community on the fight against Kush which is ravaging communities and destroying the lives of youths in the country.
The team started off the sensitisation at the Tipa Ground were Truck Drivers and Okada Riders assembled as they attentively listened to the different speakers making statements on the subject matter.
The dynamic Supt. Conteh starts the ball rolling by firmly warning the drivers and riders to desist from using the deadly substance (kush). He then coined a phrase in our local parlance ‘kush noto food’, with the crowd repeating it after him.
Next speaker was Mr. Greene of the LPPB who pleaded with the audience to expose to the relevant authorities those in the kush trade. He also admonished them to stop beating the kush addicts in order for them not to die in their hands.
He called on the Okada Riders not to engage in taking the harmful drugs because of the work they do. The Chief Driver of Tipa Ground Mr. Mohamed Bangura re-echo the call for the youth to desist from taking kush as himself was once taking the drug but has since stopped because of the harmful effects it poses.
Samuel a resident of Rokel community also gave words of advice to the Okada Riders and went on to show some of the negative effects of kush to the human body. Mohamed Kamara the Public Relations Officer of the Bike Riders Organisation promised on behalf of his organisation to assist the police in exposing those in the kush trade.
The team then left for Kondoloh Community where a mammoth crowd was waiting in anticipation. The hardworking Supt. Conteh again kick-start the engagement by firstly welcoming and introducing stakeholders in the community who were present.
He explained the purpose of the gathering and started inviting different speakers to make statements. ASP Sia Bundor of Waterloo CRD made a passionate speech highlighting the damage this kush trade has done to the society.
She stated that because of the kush menace in the society, people are seeing the police as unfit to do their work as they can’t go against all involved in the trade. As a woman she said, she is feeling the pain of the mothers who are losing their children to the drug.
She cautioned the youths to avoid kush for their own good. Mr. Wai who is the Chairman LPPB Kissy distributed placards to the crowd with different inscriptions on them all tailored towards sensitising the audience about kush, and he also introduced a song to them which they all sang.
He informed the gathering that the Inspector General of Police Mr. Williams Fayia Sellu was summoned and cautioned by Parliament with regards the kush menace. He told them that the IGP has given firm order to his subordinates to go after anyone dealing in kush trade or in the habit of smoking it. He invited everyone to join the fight against kush.
He made an example of himself as someone who has always been fighting against lawlessness in the society. A group of women known as United Family also made statement through one of their representatives.
She started off by acknowledging the relentless effort of Supt. Conteh in making sure that their community is safe. She pledges on behalf of her association to give their ultimate support to this fight against kush.
She asked that others join in the fight and stop being negligence because it’s not affecting them or their immediate family yet. The police artiste Leeman was invited and put on a sensational performance with his latest song on kush. His performance was met with thunderous applause from the crowd.
The Youth Chairman of Kondoloh Community Mr. Osman Fofanah calls on everyone within the community to join in making sure ‘kush for go’ Various other speakers took to the floor to make appeals with regards the kush fight.
The Principal Adviser to the Head Man (HM), Pa Morlai Kamara speaks on behalf of HM who was also in attendance. He welcomed everyone and assured that they will always give their support to the police.
He uses that opportunity to inform the police that they have secured a two town plot of land for the construction of a police post/station within the Kondoloh Community so as to ease the difficulties of having to go all the way to Rokel police station to make report or seek police assistance.
The engagement came to a successful conclusion with the second performance by Leeman of his hit song Respect Police.
