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Chief Supt Mercy Wilson-Brown, Volta Regional Police Crime Officer has warned the public to eschew all forms of violence to be on the safer side of the law.

She said the Police would not countenance activities of violent extremism and fundamentalism, land-guarding and threats of violence in the region and that perpetrators would be tracked down and made to face the full rigours of the law.

The Regional Crime Commander, who gave the warning during her presentation at a day’s training on the youth and women-led advocacy campaign against political vigilantism held at Aflao.

She said such crimes come under Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999) which she called “an omnibus law” and called for people to familiarise themselves with the ACT as ignoring it would not be excusable.

Chief Supt Brown said the Act prohibited all acts of vigilantism (enforcing law and order without authority), either political or otherwise, including; organising, promoting or funding acts of vigilantism saying, it “spells out punishments for their breaches from 5-10 years imprisonment and 10-25 years imprisonment on summary conviction.”

“What will it profit you to leave your family and spend years in prison? The ACT says don’t directly or indirectly, instigate, command, counsel, procure, solicit, aid, facilitate and encourage any act of vigilantism. Don’t subscribe to, act as a member or take part in activities of any political party vigilante group. You shall not conceal or harbour a person with the purpose of enabling the person to avoid lawful arrest. These are straight-jacket offences and if you’re found liable you serve a prison term without an option of a fine.”

The training organised by the National Peace Council (NPC) with funding support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) took participants mainly the youth and women from the traditional authority and civil society groups through other presentations including; roles of women and in youth curbing political vigilantism, and Youth Peace and Security (YPS) and Women Peace and Security (WPS).

Ms Euphemia Dzathor charged everyone to be alert to underlying conditions that could result in conflicts and asked that citizens use non-violence means to address their grievances to promote national cohesion and prevent Ghana from experiencing insecurity and violent extremism present in the sub-region.

She said women should be aware that the youth and them would be the hardest hit should conflicts arise thus, must not miss the golden opportunity to train their children to grow into peace-loving and tolerant youth who must avoid conflicts and call for women's involvement in every peace-building process.