Katsina Inaugurates Community Policing Advisory Committee
Aminu-Bello-Masari
By Francis Sardauna
The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has inaugurated the state Community Policing Advisory Committee as part of efforts to fight criminality through a bottom-top approach in the state.
The committee, which was set up by the federal government through the Inspector-General of Police (IG), is to begin the process of implementing community policing in the state.
The governor, while inaugurating the committee Thursday at Government House, challenged members not to compromise standards in selecting those that would pilot the affairs of community policing in the state.
Masari reaffirmed that the community policing officers would essentially assist the conventional police in fishing out miscreants and tackling criminality in communities across the state.
He said: “When you are talking about tackling crime and community policing, nobody is fitted better than somebody who lives in a particular community. They will essentially help the conventional police in terms of fishing out and stopping the act of criminality in our local communities.”
He bemoaned lack of government’s representation from the committee, calling on the IG Adamu to effect the change in order to ensure “permanent records” keeping.
“There should be representation of government in this committee for record keeping. We have departments of security at state level in all the states. So, in this committee proposed by the Inspector-General of Police, there is no representation from the government where the records will be permanently kept. So, it is important that we have representation,” Masari added.
He, however, commended Adamu for deploying special forces and armoured personnel vehicles to fight bandits and kidnappers in the state.
Also speaking, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), representing North-west zone, Abdul Dahiru Danwawu, maintained that the establishment of the advisory committee was aimed at bringing policing to the people and closing perceived gaps between the public and the police.
He however solicited for community support to ensure the sustainability of the initiative, saying: “Your support will also help in checkmating crimes.”
The committee has the Commissioner of Police, Sanusi Buba, as chairman, while the Emir of Katsina and Chairman, Katsina State Council of Chiefs, Dr. Abbdulmumin Kabir Usman, is co-chairman.
Others are one representative each from the Nigerian Council of Islamic Affairs, the chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, state chairman, Police Community Relation Committee (PCRC), and one representative each from the three senatorial districts in the state.
