The task of providing security and maintaining law and order in the country cannot be shouldered by only the security forces; the community has a very vital role to play in the maintenance of peace for which The Gambia is known for,” the Gambia Inspector General of Police has said.

IGP Musa Mboob made these statements recently at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on the promotion of culture and peace held at AFET Brikama Zone in Brikama. The workshop was organised by the National Federation of Gambia UNESCO Clubs and Centres (NATGUC).

“Our country’s peaceful quality should not be taken for granted,” he said, adding that there are factors responsible for the peace in the country and those factors must be recognised and upheld by all and sundry.

The IGP also said the workshop would offer “Gambians the opportunity to reflect on and reassess themselves in order to reaffirm and brace themselves up to the challenges of remaining peaceful and peace-loving in this chaotic world of ours”.

He added that the incident of armed robbery and other crimes in the communities “are manifestations of intolerant tendencies our youth are developing as a result of cultural exchange with our neighbours”.