Community policing, panacea for insecurity, says AIG

 The Minister for Interior, Gen. AbdulRahman Dambazzau has advocated community policing as a panacea for insecurity in Nigeria.

Dambazzau, who spoke on Thursday at the 2017 Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) Lecture and Award ceremony held in Lagos, described community policing as an all-inclusive policing strategy introduced by the current administration of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Adamu Ibrahim, who represented the minister and the IGP Idris, emphasised that community policing was a panacea for insecurity in the country.

"In furtherance of achieving the strategic objectives identified for the force, the IGP directed the establishment of the Eminent People's Forum comprising renowned and reputable individuals within the society to support the activities of the force.

"Also worthy of mention is the ongoing National Security Summit which was flagged off in Lagos and also held in Uyo, Cross River State and soon to be convened in Owerri, Imo State. It is scheduled to go round the country as a whole.

"We remain committed to doing our best to ensure adequate peace and security in the country. We will not relent in our efforts towards ensuring reduction of crime to the barest minimum." he said.

He further commended the Lagos State Government for its support in ensuring better crime prevention, management and control in the state.

The minister also commended Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) and the general public on their continuous partnership with the police in ensuring safety, peace and tranquility needed for the growth of the country.

The guest speaker, Mr Wale Olaoye, CEO Halogen Security Company Ltd., while delivering his paper however challenged the ideology behind restructuring, describing good governance as the panacea for security.

According to him, good governance and action to pursue the things that matter as the priority of a nation are all that is needed for the survival of a nation.

Olaoye said: "Good leadership is needed across all spheres. Leadership exists for vision and vision is always about another future. A greater number of the people embrace national vision as their own and it must incorporate personal vision, aspiration and fulfillment. The greatest task of leadership is sharing of vision. Also there is need for governance with a vision as the essence of leadership assumes a destination. Government is more than leadership; it is a journey to a destination. Vision is a product of purpose that is the source of a sense of destiny. Governance without vision is leadership without destination. A government without visionary leadership is a custodian of programmes. A programme is not a vision, but means to an end."
According to him, if good governance is not in place such as food security, global competitiveness, urbanization, migrations and terrorism, adequate security will continue to elude Nigeria.

His words:  "Without a vision, the people perish. People fulfill vision, not leaders as leadership entails articulating, packaging and communicating vision. When leaders lose focus of vision, it loses people. Our national mission if one exists ought to give the people a sense of purpose as Nigerians while our national vision ought to give a sense of significance and contribution. Nigeria must have a national vision that unifies. Israel, one tribe, one nation. They don’t kill each other, but do all to defend it. Without a revelation of significance as a people or person, you throw out discipline. We have thrown out discipline, perhaps owing to a lack of revelation of our significance to our national purpose.

"We must build our constitution, based on the destiny of the nation. Our constitution ought to be the framework for pursuing the national vision. The purpose of government is to lead the people to the fulfillment of the national vision."

As a panacea for insecurity he further advised that government create jobs, attack food security sort out national database and enforce community policing.

Mrs Tanwa Ashiru, CEO Bullwark Intelligence, also a lecturer at the event said Nigeria Police Force is the most affable security agency which needs a restructuring because crime still persist everywhere.

Ashiru made reference to the Inspector General of Police words that NPF needs 1.13 trillions to acquire effectively police operation.

"Even with inadequate finance for the NPF,  the NPF have been making lemonade from a dry lemon. They have been struggling and striving hard to get things comfortable.

"UN recommends a policeman to 450 people but due to the financial lagging, the NPF is only capable of a policeman for 1058 people.

" It is on the afore tongue of Nigerians in recent time that more funds will stop crime and State Government will abuse state policing by using it as a means to harass people, opposition and the likes.

"The way forward to National challenges is that Nigeria is too long and complex to be police centralised.

"Restructuring is needed to happen and people should be allowed to talk about it and be sensitized on what it means." she said.

The Chairman of the occasion Mr Ubong King, CEO Protection Plus Services Limited called for the introduction of technology in fighting crime, saying that the use of physical equipment is becoming obsolete.

He pointed out that the number of unemployed youth which is about 40 per cent of Nigeria population is a challenge to adequate security in the country.

In his remarks, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, IMOHIMI EDGAL said the restructuring in the Nigeria Police Force has started with the vision of the Inspector General of Police.

He said the vision had put them on the right part by given the force an official policy strategy and ideology, adding  that "community  policing and safety partnership is taken a firm hold and they are already beginning to yield the dividend of that strategy. "

On his part, the Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, Ahmed Ilyasu said his command has achieved a lot in addressing serious violent crimes through the community policing.

"We are pushing towards what we call micro units to ensure a sustainable peace across the state," he said.

The royal father of the day, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Akanbi called for the eradication of secret societies, alleging that "a lot of our leaders belong to cults."

He also called for the implementation and enforcement of the 1732 Enlightenment Act to eradicate secret societies.