Community support needed to combat violent extremism

In addition to the law enforcing agencies, community support can be the best ways of freeing the society from all sorts of crimes, including violent extremism and communal violence, for the sake of overall development of the country.

Large-scale promotion of proactive community policing can be the vital means of combating the existing social crimes besides countering extremism.

Police officials and development activists came up with the observations while addressing a sensitizing workshop with community and religious leaders to prevent violent extremism at Brac Training and Resource Centre in Rajshahi metropolis today.

The Asia Foundation (TAF) and Manob Kalyan Parishad (MKP) jointly organized the workshop in association with the 'Police Engagement Approach for Countering Extremism - PEACE' project.

More than 35 people comprising community and religious leaders, development activists, police personnel, students, youth leaders, teachers, leaders of influence and members of the civil society and community policing forum joined the meeting.

Additional Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Suzayet Islam and its Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam, TAF Director Sadat Sadruddin Shibly and its Senior Programme Officer Joynal Abedeen and Programme Officer Safiul Awyal addressed the meeting as resource persons.

TAF Programme Manager Taherul Islam and MKP Programme Coordinator Munira Parveen also spoke giving an illustration of the project along with its aims, objectives and implementation process.

In his remarks, Suzayet Islam said united efforts of police and people can curb anti-social activities everywhere in the society.

He puts emphasis on breaking down long standing barriers of mistrust between police and people and explores opportunities of community policing for ensuring citizens' safety through local initiatives.

Islam said the community based policing had been introduced in the metropolis with a noble view, but the community people should take the responsibility of making it effective.

Sadat Shibly told the meeting that the PEACE Project is intended to empower law enforcement agencies to carry out counter terrorism efforts that effectively engage citizens in awareness raising, information sharing and prevention initiatives.

Source: BSS