Community Policing Is A Potent Weapon To Tackle Insecurity, Says IGP Adamu

The Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abubakar Adamu has re-emphazized the need for community policing to stem the rising insecurity in the country.

Adamu was at a meeting tagged Southwest Geopolitical Zone Security Summit convened by the Office of the Inspector-General of Police to unveil Adamu’s security agenda for the region and to discuss issues and strategies to be adopted in addressing the security challenges in the geopolitical zone..

The meeting was attended by the host, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, while Ogun, Lagos, Ondo and Ekiti state governors sent their deputies to the meeting.

While addressing the guests at the meeting held at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Ibadan on Monday, IGP Adamu reiterated that security can effectively be guaranteed where there is effective community unity. This, he said, would ensure a safer region and a nation.

He described community policing as a potent weapon to tackle crime.

To Osun State Governor, the police need to change their strategy in the recruitment process. He wanted the recruitment exercise to take into cognizant communities and their peculiarities.

“The police can recruit from communities, train them and deploy them in their areas since they understand the terrain,” Oyetola said.

He, however, commended the Governors of the southwest region of Nigeria for rising above partisan politics and unite to secure the region.

Governor Makinde in his welcome speech used the occasion to announce that in “Oyo State, in the next few days, we will unveil a security roadmap, with focus on improvement on security infrastructure, awakening the security consciousness of our people, encouraging robust partnership of non-state actors, such as the traditional institutions, volunteers, and other well-meaning residents of the state, application of technology in fighting crimes and criminalities, collaboration with development partners, especially in the areas of capacity building for our security personnel and others, promotion of effective synergy amongst Security Agencies deployed to the state, ensuring effective oversight of the Security Agencies to curb excesses, especially in the areas of corruption and trampling on the fundamental rights of our people, ensuring the judicious use of assets of the State assigned to the Security Agencies, and ensuring the sustenance of the afore-mentioned measures, as well as periodic review of the measures to meet the dynamic nature of the society.

“The overall objective of our intervention is to ensure safety and security of our people, reduce the fear of crimes, as well as ensure that all residents of Oyo State, and investors can go about their lawful endeavour without let or hindrance.”

Attendance at the IGP;s security meeting included top police hierarchy, top flight monarchs in the region such as the Ooni of Ife, the Alake of Egbaland, the Olubadan of Ibadan, the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland,Oba and the Ataoja of Osogbo. Other are Otunba Gani Adams, representatives of the Hausa and Igbo Communities who gave goodwill messages.