PRIOR TO AND since the nearly four years of the tenure of the democratic leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, amidst the presence of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) whose mandate is to ensure the security of the State, armed robbery and rape have constituted major challenges in combating within various communities.

IN SPITE EARLIER efforts by UNMIL to provide cell phones to community leaders in helping identify criminals and reporting same to the relevant authority, the practice continues unabated, with reports over the months bespeaking of the nabbing of several armed robbers, investigated and detained at the Monrovia Central Prison, only to later discover that jail-breaking had occurred there.

MOST TIMES MAKING citizens to feel uneasy, with insinuations on government that are indeed not too pleasing, though having inherited the problem as a result of the past civil crisis, the scenario is gradually turning out to become another war against innocent citizens and must therefore be resisted at all cost in whatever professional manner.

WHILST PAST SCENARIOS that taught individuals wrongly pursuing the criminal path never had anymore lessons to tell, since their missions ended on site, our emerging and not developed democracy does not however dictate that terrorism should be encouraged from any source, moreso with the United Nations doing all it can to totally discourage the act that is a violation of Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guaranteeing the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

INDEED TRUE THAT the National Legislature has since enacted laws to the effect to counter the very ugly and inhumane practice especially in the democratic dispensation, though now requiring, as an imperative, the Judiciary to enforce same to the letter through its law enforcement arm, one can certainly not expect the Chairman on National Security and Defense, Nimba County Senior Senator Prince Y. Johnson to leave his office simply to ensure that the laws are effected.

IMPRESSIVE AS IT has been over the few months, however, with the training of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of the Liberia National Police (LNP), although requiring augmentation in strength to adequately deal with the situation, coupled with adequate logistics, Truth Radio along with various community residents ought to be commended for staying awake at night to direct our local security personnel about hide-outs of the criminals, in spite continuing calls on government to assist the station in the process that will certainly not become a waste by virtue of proven results.

WE HASTEN TO add our voices to the call for the time being, since it is in the national interest, until our local security sector shall have fully coordinated their efforts at ridding the menace now rendering the lives of good citizens volatile.

MEANTIME AND FAR from earlier misjudgment of the qualification of the new Chief Police Inspector Marc Amblah, as an administrator, we wish to welcome his service to the nation, hoping that the challenges met and earlier fought by his predecessor, Attorney-At- Law Beatrice Munah Seah Browne, would be overcome through concerted efforts.

CONTINUING INSECURITY OF individuals through whatever means, we are convinced, contributes to retardation in the growth and development process of the nation and must therefore be rigidly combated to the letter, no matter the status, creed or color, without which Liberians may again have to lay down their swords and shield down by the river side, something least anticipated anymore.

AFTER ALL, THE peace, stability and democracy restored to Liberia are very expensive and cannot easily be toyed with by anyone, especially when they do not have the patience to work harder in earning decent living but prefer to get rich overnight out of others’ sweat.