DOHA: The community policing department is thinking of forming area councils across the country to have grassroots-level partnership with society to prevent and fight crime.
The move is inspired by the success the department has had in helping reduce the fear and incidence of crime and enhance the quality of life of residents.
One of the achievements of the department is that it trains members of the public in the worker-dominated Industrial Area to deal with general safety measures.
The success of the department led the government to declare community policing a separate and dedicated department of the Ministry of Interior last year.
As part of the department’s role in preventing and combating crime, police officials interact closely with community members, including heads of various expatriate communities and organisations like the Central Municipal Council (CMC).
The department is to soon conduct a survey to get feedback from people about the idea of setting up area or neighbourhood councils as a way to prevent various crimes.
“Plans to set up area councils are under study. The idea is to earn the trust of society and enhance cooperation with it,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Ahmed Zayed Al Mohannadi (pictured).
Director of the community policing unit, Al Mohannadi said that from the feedback, people’s reaction to the idea of area councils and their role in solving social problems and preventing crimes will be known.
The methodology of the survey has been developed and teams have been set up to conduct the survey.
Now, an increasing number of people are familiar with the concept of community policing, Al Mohannadi said.
The role of the unit in solving social problems, as also security-related problems, is well known in the communities now.
The director was quoted by Al Sharq as saying yesterday that his department was ready to sign a number of agreements to enhance its partnership with society.
Partnerships have also been set up with national-level agencies so they can participate in the various programmes of the community policing department, said Al Mohannadi, without giving details.
Al Mohannadi said that soon they would set up a hotline to receive people’s complaints and queries about community policing.
People can get answers to questions like what community policing is and what future programmes are planned.
THE PENINSULA
