Last year, the state security committee set up 40 security zones to help respond to crime- related incidents.

According to Captain Guot Guot Akol, the state police spokesperson, this has enabled the security organs to apprehend over 60 burglars and are currently in jail.

Captain Guot, says the police are ready to respond to any criminal activity in any given time.

“Last week, we apprehended four people that are known with high crime rates in Northern Bahr el Ghazal,” Captain Guot said.

“We also went to the local media and the police Commissioner himself declared that the people that are terrorizing you around residential areas, we have managed to apprehend them all.

“If anything appears again I believe the police are more than ready to handle them.”

A resident of Aweil West County, Salva Atak agrees with the police spokesperson, Captain Guot.

“There are so many problems which are happening that is why people were really afraid but now the police have taken a serious measure to make sure that all these criminals are brought down,” Atak said.

“Now, the situation is ok because it is not like before because Northern Bahr el Ghazal was the best state where you might not face any problem when you move at night.

“Nobody can attack you even if you have money you move with you may not have a problem. It is now like before.”

Although arrests of some gangs have been made, Aweil town resident, Mario Atak Deng says there are still incidents of insecurity.

“We are still demanding our police to search for these groups and to eliminate them because there are a lot of incidents that they are doing day and night,”  Deng said.

Recently, the police in Aweil also arrested a man in possession of 40 kilograms of marijuana.

They have also held some individuals found with counterfeit US dollars.