General News
“Check Yourselves For Criminal Facilitators”
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- Published on Thursday, 22 November 2012 07:08
- Written by Necus M. Andrews
…Motorcyclists Tell LNP
A group of motorbike riders in Monrovia is requesting the Liberia National Police to consider checking among its officers for criminal facilitators instead of blaming them for increase in arm robbery.
The Liberia National Police have instituted series of security measure including a ban on motorcycle from plying the street from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
The police say motorcyclists are being used by armed robbers mainly at night to commit crime. The LNP also disclosed that about 75 percent of crime especially arm robbery is facilitated by motorcyclists.
However, some motorcyclists who spoke to this paper Wednesday during a random interview said the police have no moral ground to accused them of facilitating arm robbery when officers within their ranks are always penalize for criminal activities including arm robbery.
They said although a decision of the security measure was reached with the Leadership of the Motorcycle Union but does not give the police any ground to link the measure to the activities of motorcyclists.
The security measure which took effect Wednesday, November 21, 2012, is expected to remain in place until 2013.
Speaking further the commercial motorcyclists observed that the measure is discriminatory.
The motorcyclists said a vigorous fight against crime in the country requires constant police patrol in communities and should not be shifted on jobless Liberians especially motorcyclists.
Emmanuel Freeman, a commercial motorcyclist operating in Central Monrovia alleged that some police officers are equally responsible for aiding criminals to harass citizens at night.
Freeman wants the LNP to make use of the law and arrest any motorcyclist caught facilitating criminal activities.
“They need to go out there in the communities during night hours to protect the people instead of blackmailing one group in the society. Motorcyclists are Liberian citizens who rights need to be protected under the law,” Freeman indicated.
Another motorcyclist, Amos Yekeh said the regulation is not in the interest of the country and urged the LNP to reconsider the decision to work and work with community dwellers to fight crime adding “they need to check among themselves for criminal facilitators and stop blaming us”.
Mr. Yekeh, 28, recommended to authorities at the LNP to do what he calls an in-house monitoring of their officers because some of them are ‘criminal facilitators’.
