South Sudan’s new police spokesman aims for stronger public relations

JUBA – South Sudan’s newly appointed police spokesperson, Colonel John Kassara Koang Nhial, has assumed his duties today, emphasizing the importance of strengthening public relations and fostering collaboration with the media to enhance security and order in the world’s youngest country.

Colonel Kassara was appointed to the position by President Salva Kiir Mayardit last week in a presidential decree, replacing Major-General Daniel Justin who has been appointed as the director of community policing.

Speaking to the media in an event in which he took charge, Kassara highlighted the importance of a collaborative effort to maintain law and order in society by fostering a conducive environment where people can report cases.

“We need to know that security is the work of all of us. Therefore, to protect our citizens and their properties, we need our collaborative work and the media houses on criminal activities that sometimes happen in some residential areas. And by doing so, we will be able to maintain and build citizens’ trust,” he stated.

He stated that the collaborations will enable more citizens to report incidents, creating trust between police personnel and the community.

For his part, former Kassara’s predecessor Daniel Justin said there have been reports of residents not reporting cases to the authorities. He urged communities to get involved in community policing and reporting.

“Whenever you report something within the first 10 to 20 minutes, you will be there to get a lot of information about the case, especially the crime scenes usually help us a lot in determining the suspect or some left exhibits can help us to reach the criminal,” he said.

Former deputy police spokesman James Dak Karlo said continuous collaboration between the public and the media will lead to effective dissemination of information and finding the root causes of the issues at hand.

“Media is the fourth arm of the government. First, we talk of checks and balances. That is the executive, the legislative, and then judiciary. So, media plays a very big role in development and keeping the security,” he said.