Gambia Police say crime is “decreasing” and dismissed reports of its continued rise in the country.

The Gambia has been experiencing growing insecurity and crimes like murder, rape and robbery have been on the rise causing fear and concern among the public.

Last month police launched a joint security operation targeting criminal hideouts, and arresting hundreds of people among them Gambians and non-Gambians. 

Some of the suspects have been prosecuted while others were released after police found they were innocent.

Despite this police operation, the public remains in fear as they continue to complain that they are not secured.

“We must let people understand that crime is not really escalating especially when we started operation zero crime.

“In fact, on a daily basis our arrests are reducing. We are arresting less and less people and our reports are going down less and less,” police spokesman Superintendent Lamin Njie said.

According to him, their operations show a “trend from our point of observation that we are definitely gaining momentum.”

Reporting by Adama Makasuba