IG Tasks Govs, Police Personnel on Community Policing

By Adibe Emenyonu

The Inspector General of Police (IG), Usman Baba Alkali, yesterday called on the state governments and police personnel to ensure that those drafted into the community policing system are people with proven character.

The police boss, who said the federal government has adopted community policing to check crime and criminality, a practice he said was obtainable in most parts of today’s world, spoke when he addressed officers and men of the command while on a working and familiarization tour of the state.

Alkali announced that statistics have shown the reduction in the level of crime in some parts of the country since the community policing model was adopted, compared to what it was when he first resumed office as the Inspector General of Police.

According to him, “I think I can say statistically that what we have in South-South, South-East and even South-West has changed greatly from what we met and in the other parts of the country. We are also doing much to improve the situation there.

“If every state is fighting crime like Edo State, most of us will be resting, however, there is room for improvement because if you relax while fighting crime, crime will come back at you in a different form so I urge you to continue.

“You must adhere to the calling of your profession. You must differentiate between professionalism and ordinary policing. Community policing is a model adopted by the federal government and it is that same practice worldwide. They are not to be selected by you; they are to be picked by their leaders, either traditional, religious, social or otherwise, because they know their communities and the people. You must screen and train them for the job.

“They must be told their boundaries, for instance, that when they make any arrest, they must hand over such persons to the police for prosecution.”

The IG also commended the state government on its efforts to help the police rebuild the Police Training School in Ogida near Benin-city.

On the challenge of kidnapping along the Benin–Auchi–Okenne road, Alkali said: “We are trying to see what we can do all over the country to end the menace, as it is not only here, there are places that are even worse than here. We are not saying that is yet Uhuru, we are still saying that there is room for improvement, and there is better synergy between us and all the other security agencies in fighting crimes and that is what we are trying to do and that is what we are doing.”

Earlier at the Government House in Benin-city, the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki, commended the police for their efforts in the state, and also lauded the collaboration between the police and other security agencies in fighting crime in the state.