EAST AYAWASO Neighborhood Association, a Non-Governmental Organisation based in Nima, a suburb of Accra, has taken it upon itself to bring to a halt the numerous social vices that has engulfed the locality and its surroundings. At its maiden press conference in Accra, the Public Relations Officer of the association, Adam Saabo Abdul-Rahaman, stated that the upsurge of crime that had engulfed the community must be eradicated at all cost to enable the constituency catch up with others in terms of development. “As indigenes of this community, our concern is not only the suffering the victims go through, but also the stigma that is attached to this community.” This, he said, had undoubtedly placed the community at a disadvantage in terms of job opportunities, social infrastructure, developments, investments, good will and social integration. Abdul-Rahaman however noted that the stigma attached to Nima, as the hub of criminals, was not all that true. He explained, “A group of criminals from Labadi may go to East Cantonments to steal and divert the attention of the security services by asking the owners of the goods to meet them at Nima for negotiation; or a group from Adabraka will arrange a meeting with unsuspecting business individuals in Nima and end up duping them. Nonetheless, this is not to say that Nima and its surroundings do not harbour criminals.” He debunked the perception that some members of the association were criminals, hence raising questions about its legitimacy. He challenged the general public to point out individuals among the group that were criminals. Abdul-Rahaman called on the residents of Nima to cooperate with the association to help restore some dignity to the area. The District Superintendent of Police at the Nima Police Station, Iddrisu Yakubu, said the formation of the group was very important to the police, since it would help curb crime in the country. He stated that Ghanaians were duty-bound to assist the police, and called on other communities to learn from the example of the association to help in the fight against crime. The police chief promised to cooperate with the association in all its endeavours. Daily Guide