Resilience Programme Coordinator ActionAid, Mr. Anicetus Atakpu, has described the creation of Community Action and Response Team (CART) as a formidable platform for creating awareness in some local communities in Kano state for the purpose of crime prevention.
Speaking to newsmen at a 2-day training of CART members on participatory Vulnerability, Analysis, Understanding Conflict and Building Community Early Warning and Response System, held at Tahir Guest Palace Monday, Atakpu stated that the issue of capacity building among different community members has become imperative at this critical stage.
According to him, the ActionAid has in collaboration with Disputes Resolutions and Development Initiative formerly known as Democratic Action Group organised the training with the aim of sensitising the target audience on the need for them to rise to the challenge of preventing crime before the situation spins out of control.
He said “we have decided to create CART in our 12 areas of operations for the communities to fully comprehend the role they are expected to play in complementing the effort of security agencies in exposing criminal elements wreaking serious havoc on innocent people.
“We believe that the structures we have put in place would greatly strengthen the capacity of members of the communities involved to be on alert for the early warning and response system to be effective. We have made every effort to ensure that all the security agencies operating in the areas we are working are actively involved,” he added.
Speaking in the same vein, the Executive Director Disputes Resolutions and Development Initiative, Dr. Mustapha Muhammad Yahaya, said the training workshop was poised to expose the participants to the nitty-gritty of preventing crimes in their respective communities, based on the skills and knowledge acquired.
He pointed out that security consciousness has become paramount, especially in the face of the prevailing challenges in the country, with banditry on the prowl, stressing that the business of nipping existential security threat in the bud lies at the shoulders of every patriotic citizen
