IGP clarifies professional Police/Community Police relations

The Inspector-General of Police,
Mohammed A. Adamu, at the strategic Police Managers’ meeting held at the IGP Conference Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja on Friday, advocated the need for mew strategy to counter emerging crimes patterns and trend in the country.  

The IG acknowledged that the Conference was the first strategic management meeting to be held by the Nigeria Police this year. He further acknowledged that since the last meeting, some new trends and patterns of crimes have emerged, saying that this makes it imperative for the Police to collectively re-evaluate their strategies with a view to sustaining the Police dominance of the public space from criminal elements.

IG Adamu, therefore, highlighted: “In this regard, this meeting is convened to achieve three main objectives. First, is to review the current internal security situation of the country, evaluate emerging threats, and evolve strategies to curtail them. Secondly, we shall be undertaking a detailed assessment of the implementation of the Community Policing Strategy as approved by the Federal Government. Thirdly, we shall also assess the progress so far made in our overall internal security activities.”

The IG noted that  recent incidence of armed banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery, most especially, in Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, Katsina and Zamfara states have prompted the need for the full and speedy roll-out of the Community Policing strategy across the country. “Accordingly, as conceptualized, formulated, and approved by the Government, the current effort will be citizen-centered and driven by members of each community.

“The plan will involve the setting up of Community Policing Committees (CPCs) at the Ward, Local Government, and State levels, including the Federal Capital Territory. The Committees, when inaugurated, are to identify credible and suitable citizens from across each locality for appointment as Special Constables who will serve as Community Policing Officers (CPOs), IG Adamu declared.

He explained that   the Committees are also expected to identify the security challenges peculiar to their communities and partner with the local police in formulating plans that would mitigate the challenges. The Community Policing Officers, he said,  are to deal with and resolve low-level security issues without necessarily resorting to Police Stations unless the issue is of serious legal and security consequences and require police intervention. The idea is to improve the capacity of communities to develop solutions to local security problems working closely with their local police, he added.

IG Adamu emphasized:  ”It is our projection that when fully operational, the citizens would be in control of their security with the guidance of the Police and the Community Policing Committees, while the Nigeria Police would then concentrate on the management of violent and other highly organized crimes with a view to pro-actively responding to them in a manner that engender public confidence, trust, and public satisfaction in police service delivery.

“Faced with increasingly sophisticated and enterprising criminal threats, our Community Policing approach recognizes that the Police alone, as a law enforcement agency, does not have the exclusive capacity to solely manage the security threats. Thus, a multi-agency and citizens-driven approach remains the most potent strategy to deal with the current trends of crime.”

The IG noted that the success of the community policing initiative in Nigeria, like in other policing climes, depends largely on the extent to which strategic police managers, particularly, State Commissioners of Police, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers understand its concept and practice. This conference shall, therefore, dwell extensively on exposing senior police officers to the concept and the implementation plan of the Community Policing Strategy, he said.

The IG maintained that the specific roles of Police managers at various command levels and other strategic actors in the implementation process shall also be clearly delineated at the conference. “The senior officers here seated shall also be adequately briefed on the modalities for the vetting and certification of personalities that will be members of the Community Policing Committees. This is with a view to ensuring that only credible and suitable persons are appointed into the Committee,” he explained.

IG Adamu remarked: “At no time had our nation require our dedication, commitment, resilience and professionalism than now. Consequently, I charge you all to continue to provide courageous and knowledge-driven leadership that is required to advance the attainment of our internal security mandate.”

The IG, thereafter, assured the citizens that with their cooperation and the blessing of the Almighty Allah (SWT), the Police shall continue to initiate strategies and undertake coordinated operations that are directed at taking the battle to the door steps of the criminal elements. “This has been our strategic approach and it has been effective in decimating the bandits, kidnappers and other violent criminals who have been taking advantage of the natural topography of our nation to threaten our security,” he said.

IG Adamu appealed to all citizens and particularly, the State Governors to continue to support and partner with the Police as they implement the community policing strategy across the country. “It is only when we present a common front that we can, as a people, defeat our common enemy who are the bandits, kidnappers, and armed robbers that are testing our will and attempting to alter our values for peace and security,” the IG declared.