With the debate over the need for state police still raging, Inspector
General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase has lamented the inadequate number of
police to provide adequate security for the country, and urged the various
state Police Commands to embark on and strengthen community policing in their
respective states to curb criminality in the country.
This call is coming in the wake of increase in incidents of insecurity
in the country, and brings to the fore the frequent debate over the level of
adequacy and competence of the Nigeria Police to stand up to their statutory
responsibilities and confront these challenges.
The never-ending evil activities the country is presently embroiled
under Boko Haram, the increasing rate of kidnapping and armed robbery, alarming
social vices among other criminal activities all appear to overwhelm the
nation’s security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, which by many indices
have not been able to live up to their billing.
These, no doubt, were factors which apparently spurred Arase to make his
call for the strengthening of community policing.
Community policing, it will be relevant to note, is anchored on a systematic relationship between the police and the entire citizenry, whereby police roles and functions are not simply law enforcement but also include tackling a huge range of community problems, with the assistance and cooperation of community security outfits like vigilantes.
Community policing, it will be relevant to note, is anchored on a systematic relationship between the police and the entire citizenry, whereby police roles and functions are not simply law enforcement but also include tackling a huge range of community problems, with the assistance and cooperation of community security outfits like vigilantes.
Arase’s call for more community policing, although a welcome idea in
Nigeria, was an indication of the inadequacies of those entrusted with the
security of lives and property in Nigeria for which the police are in the
vanguard.
His call should raise concern for the Federal Government especially as
the old debate over state police rages. It regularly attracts condemnation by
those who consider state police as a policy that will weaken the central
government and strengthen the powers of state governments, therefore posing
challenges of the continued unity of the country with renewed threats of
secession from some agitators in the South-East.
Arase who was in Minna, the Niger State capital yesterday, in
continuation of his nationwide tour of Police Commands told a large audience of
security stakeholders in the state that there was the need for every Nigerian
community to rise to the challenges of insecurity in the country by laying
emphasis more on community policing.
The IGP however added that the directive was not applicable to
politicians holding top government offices like the Senate President, House
Speaker among others.
He disclosed that there were less than 8000 police to provide security
for the entire people of Niger state, adding that from the land mass and
population of the state, the police were grossly inadequate to man the state
effectively but assured that even at this, the police would rise to the
challenges.
The Inspector General said the inadequacies could be attributed to lack
of recruitment into the Force in the past five years but which he said was
being seriously looked into by the Mohammadu Buhari administration.
Arase said he had given a directive that policemen on postings as
orderlies to individuals including politicians be withdrawn immediately and
redeployed to other more sensitive posts in order to provide the needed
security across the country.
He called on individuals, private organisations and communities to come
to the aid of the Police in the country by providing logistics to them to
facilitate their activities, pointing out that government could not shoulder
the responsibilities of security alone.
The IGP directed the state Command to embark on periodic interaction
with various stakeholders, including students in the state to know their
feelings and problems and chart a new way forward.
The stakeholders included religious leaders, Miyetti Allah Cattle
Breeders Association of Nigeria, National Union of Road Transport Workers,
students, FRSC other security agencies among others.
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