Commander of National Capital District and Central Province, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Peter Guinness has issued a stern warning to squatters attempting to erect makeshift homes near the eviction site at Nine Mile, Bush Wara's Portion 2156, 2157, and 2159. ACP Guinness said police will not hesitate to remove those settlers thinking of setting up makeshifts at nearby vacant land if they are caught. His warning comes following some settlers who had started putting up their makeshifts along the road leading into the Nine Mile eviction zone, but police had them removed today (Monday, July 15), as the fourth day of eviction operations continue. ACP Guinness said, otherwise, the eviction operation commenced smoothly today, with police and sheriff officers ensuring compliance with the court order. He again expressed gratitude to law enforcement and affected individuals for their cooperation during the orderly eviction process, which began on Thursday, July 11, and confirmed that most residents voluntarily vacated the area over the weekend, facilitating the ongoing removal of properties without major incidents. “I want to thank the police and sheriff officers and also those people who were affected for working together that had seen the eviction to take place smoothly, and the settlers there had come to realize that there is a court order in place that the security personnel will have to carry out the eviction.” While overseeing the eviction, ACP Guinness stressed the necessity of respecting land ownership rights amid disputes over customary lands. “We all must learn from this eviction exercise, and when we want to put up a permanent structure on a piece of land that is not our customary land, we must make sure we check properly who the land belongs to.” He confirmed that some Church buildings are yet to be taken down by the congregation of the respective churches but reminded them that there is a court order in place, and that any structures that are erected on the Nambawan Super Limited portions of land mentioned in the eviction order, will be taken down unless the title holders approve for it to remain. “Otherwise, all structures must be taken down including the churches that are still up,” he said, adding that the eviction exercise will continue this week. He also confirmed that so far, two portions of the land - portions 2156 and 2159 - are nearing completion with the eviction and that they have also started moving into portion 2157.