On May 25^th, 2017, the Community Oriented Policing Activity (COPA) team hosted an open house at the Assadaka Center in a continued effort to bring together members of the Bendibane neighborhood and the police.

The event was kicked off by a morning assembly, which included a theater performance developed by Bendibane youth, and musical performances by a community rap artist and a Tangier-based duet. There were also local police officers, including the Chief from the Communications and Sports Division, who talked with the youth about the importance of sharing information and not simply accepting that the police know everything. He also underscored the importance of identifying corrupt police to the Prefecture and encouraged students to consider a career in police work/, A number of young women in the group expressed interest in learning the requirements to join the service. The officers remained on site after the assembly and took time to talk with youth one-on-one.

The main event targeted children from the ages 7 to 15 and their parents. Nearly 150 youth and children from the community participated in workshops on various themes, including: traffic safety led by local police officers, origami, marionettes, and cinematography, where youth created and screened their own short films. The films dealt with themes that showed their insight on crime and violence in their community and sparked a discussion on the importance of working together to solve these issues.

The open house event was organized in partnership with the Police Prefecture of Tangier, Entraide Nationale, and the Assadaka Center with the support of USAID. Events like these that bring together the community and the police are the heart of COPA’s innovative approach, which works to improve citizen participation in promoting security and advancing community-oriented policing in Morocco.