Some community team members, including women, at a local gate at night. Photo: Nukanah Kollie/New Narratives
Summary:
- Community Watch Teams in Bong County have helped reduce reported crime by eighty six percent, restoring safety to once-dangerous neighborhoods according to government data.
- Volunteers patrol at night, liaise with police, and detain suspects, though some residents remain skeptical about their role.
- Leaders warn that equipment shortages, and oversight gaps remain critical challenges for the program.
By Nkanah Kollie with New Narratives
BARWOR QUARTER, Bong County—It’s just past midnight here in one of Gbarnga’s oldest and most crowded neighborhoods, as a small group of men move quietly through narrow alleys. Flashlights slice through the darkness. A whistle pierces the humid air.
Seven years ago, residents say, few people dared walk here after dark. Today, the streets are calmer. Police credit volunteer community watch teams and their nightly patrols for a dramatic drop in reported crimes across Bong County since 2016.
“Who’s there? Identify yourself!” calls Commander Joseph Flomo as his team turns into a back road once plagued by petty theft. Flomo’s patrols liaise closely with the Liberia National Police and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, helping monitor neighborhoods long underserved by formal security forces.
Flomo and his team are ordinary citizens turned frontline volunteers. Police say their presence has helped restore calm and strengthen public confidence through community-led security efforts that complement overstretched state institutions.
According to crime statistics compiled by the Liberia National Police, reported crimes nationwide fell from 13,280 cases in 2016 to 4,515 in 2023 —a decline of about two-thirds. In Bong County, the data show an eighty six percent reduction over the same period,
Police say the figures reflect cases formally recorded at police stations and tracked from initial reports through investigation, court proceedings, and resolution.
Filling the Security Gap
When the United Nations Mission in Liberia withdrew in 2018, Liberia’s security institutions assumed full responsibility for national policing. In Bong County, where officers patrol large rural areas with limited logistics, community watch teams expanded their activities.
This graph was produced with the assistance of ChatGPT. Credit: Nukanah Kollie/ New Narratives
“We were able to liaise with the police and the security apparatus to push criminals out,” Flomo says. “Today people can sleep peacefully.”
The impact, community leaders say, extends beyond Barwor Quarter.
In Joekpemmue Community, Gbarnga, Bong County, near Dolokelen Gboveh School and Bong County Technical College, Saye Kulah, a traditional leader says that crime once disrupted farming families and left homes vulnerable.
“They used to come from outside and hide among us,” Kulah says. “When people went to the farm or to the water, they would break into houses.”
He says residents formally organized their watch forum in 2014 after seeing similar initiatives in nearby communities.
“We recruited responsible men and women. Women are part of the team,” he says.
Kulah credits cooperation with police for reducing drug-related violence.
“We used to have ghettos here. Drugs were a serious problem,” he says. “Some youth became aggressive.”
He recalls a 2023 arrest in which volunteers detained a man allegedly carrying a single-barrel gun before turning him over to police.
Frontline Watch team members inspect a motorbike rider and passengers at night. Photo: Nukanah Kollie / New Narratives
Police Credit Collaboration
James N. Lorpukollie, community service section officer for the Liberia National Police in Bong County, says many areas once considered crime hotspots including Totota, Gbatala, Barwor Quarter and Kortu Quarter, have recorded steady improvements.
“We were trained in community policing approaches introduced during the UNMIL drawdown,” Lorpukollie says. “Our role is to be the eyes and ears of the Liberia National Police, especially in areas where officers are not always present.”
He attributes the decline in reported crime to sustained collaboration between volunteers and law enforcement.
“It makes me proud to see families living without fear again,” Lorporkollie says. “This work is important because it restores trust and safety in our communities, and that’s why our men continue to volunteer on the frontline in these rural areas.
Questions Over the Numbers
Not everyone is convinced the decline tells the full story.
Aaron Juahkollie, executive director of the Foundation for International Dignity, says while community patrols may deter crime, greater transparency is needed around the data.
Juahkollie acknowledges that community policing may have helped reduce crime, but he questions the credibility of the Liberia National Police crime statistics, noting that the methodology, indicators, and case definitions used to generate the data have not been clearly explained, and that there is no independent monitoring to assess police claims.
“The presence of community watch teams can deter crime,” he says. “But until we examine the methodology and hear directly from affected communities, we cannot conclude that crime has truly reduced. I partly agree, but not one hundred percent.”
Farsu V. Sheriff, former Bong County police commander who was transferred to Grand Bassa County in January, defended the data, saying crime statistics are compiled monthly and track cases from report to disposition.
“Civil society groups regularly visit the police stations, other security hubs and follow cases,” Sheriff says. “.”They are always in the know; we can share information with them. “They are credible, very credible, and I can say that for free. So if they say they disagree with the data, process or procedures, I am baffled by that,” says Sheriff.
Allegations of Abuse
In previous years, some residents accused certain community watch members of mistreatment of suspects, including claims of physical abuse and theft during arrests.
Lorpukollie acknowledges that such allegations had circulated but said internal reviews found no proven cases.
“There have been accusations,” he says, “but none were substantiated with evidence. Whenever concerns arise, we investigate.”
Kulah also says that volunteers are instructed not to use violence.
“When we arrest someone, the first thing I announce is that no one should touch or beat the person,” he says. “Our job is only to arrest and hand them over to police.”
Rights advocates say clear oversight and formal training remain essential to prevent potential abuses in community-led policing initiatives.
Mixed Views on the Ground
Gbarnga Central Market/ Photo Credit: Nukanah Kollie/ New Narratives
At Gbarnga Central Market, some residents expressed skepticism.
“Only sometimes they appear,” says vendor Mamie Kollie. “Even now we see new cases every week. I can’t say crime has fully reduced.”
However, Kabinah Kromah, chairman of Barwor Quarter, one of the areas previously considered a hotspot near the market, says the community watch teams have made a noticeable difference.
“Barwor Quarter used to be one of the dangerous communities in the past, but through the watch teams we have been making many arrests and clearing criminal activities,” Kromah says. “Before, people could not pass here at night because it was very dangerous, but now it is very hard to find criminals in the community.
“Two months ago, around 3 a.m., we arrested a stolen motorbike and later turned it over to the police so it could be returned to the owner,” says Kromah.
Police say community perception does not always reflect recorded data but acknowledge the need for stronger public engagement and stipends for the community watch team’s volunteers.
Sustainability at Stake
Despite reported gains, sustainability remains uncertain.
“We are not paid,” Kulah says. “Sometimes I use my own money to hire a motorbike at night to transport suspects.”
Volunteers lack basic equipment, including flashlights, handcuffs and protective gear and stipend for motivation.
“When we call police at night, response can delay,” he says. “We need faster support.”
Juahkollie recommends structured training, professional supervision, modest stipends and increased female participation to strengthen the model.
For now, patrols continue under the glow of flashlights in Bong’s neighborhoods.
This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of “Investigating Liberia” Project. Funding was provided by the Swedish Embassy in Liberia and the funder has no say in the story’s contents.
