More officers are needed in Lami as the former Chair of Lami District Council of Social Services, Asaeli Naisoro says they have only 3 Police Posts with 63 officers serving more than 30,000 people.
While presenting at the Community Policing Symposium at the Nakasi Police Station, Naisoro says there is a need to have more Police officers based on the population numbers.
Naisoro also says the Nadonumai landowners have taken it upon themselves to remove any person from the community who commits crime.
Naisoro adds the mindset of the communities should also change because whenever they see a Police car, bus or even an officer, people tend to run away and hide.
Naisoro is also urging the Force to use social activities such as sports to bridge the gap between the Police and the community.
Meanwhile Naisoro says financial constraints brought by the COVID-19 pandemic is a major influence on crime in settlements and communities.
He says after the pandemic, a lot of families suffered from financial difficulties, which resulted in people getting desperate and leading to crime.
Naisoro says what they saw in communities and settlements after the pandemic was so worrying because a lot of children did not return to school.
He further says these students were from families that were affected, and as a result, some looked for employment while others got mixed up in crime.
Naisoro says to ensure students get back to their education after the pandemic they decided to provide lunch for the students.
He adds this initiative was a success as those students who left school returned to classes because they saw their friends were eating hot dogs for lunch.
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