The Upper West Regional Police Commander, DCOP Kofi Danso Adae Acheampong says his region is relatively peaceful, adding that crime rate is not high. He however posited that their major challenge is road accidents which need to be controlled. DCOP Adae Acheampong made the statement at an orientation of community police desk officers in Wa. He said crime statistics indicate that from January to May, the region has experienced 4 robberies, 6 murders and 7 rape cases. The rest are 14 fraud cases, 178 stealing and 204 assault cases. In the case of road accidents, 80 motor accidents have been recorded; 39 persons lost their lives whilst 111 persons sustained various degrees of injury. The Upper West Regional Police Commander said based on the aforementioned statistics there is the need for all to embrace the concept of community policing. He said the programme is to ensure the police work hand in hand with members of the community to fight crime or criminal activities in the community. The concept, he noted, will bring the police closer to the people they serve, adding, it will enhance the trust and confidence lost through reactive or traditional policing. “The trust and confidence which are needed most from the general public are lost because of our own attitude. The general public sees us, the police as brutal during arrest, detention and interrogation. We display an attitude of rudeness, arrogance hostility and bossiness or we use abusive language when dealing with the public,’’ the regional police commander explained. DCOP Adae Acheampong said with the introduction of the concept these negative practices or perceptions will be eliminated because the police and the community members will work together to device means of solving problems within the community. The coordinator of the national community policing unit, Chief Superintendent Alhaji Mohammed Fuseini Suraj asked the participants to ensure that the yawning gap between the police and the general public as alluded to by the regional police commander is closed in order to regain the confidence and trust of the public. Chief Superintendent Alhaji Mohammed further asked the participants to create a platform for other security related agencies that will be used as ‘‘conduit or platform to sensitize the community members which will be tilted towards crowd prevention and peaceful coexistence that will ensure socio-economic development’’