Intelligence Sharing Lifeblood of Crime Prevention in W’Africa, Says IG Egbetokun

Linus Aleke in Abuja

Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, yesterday,said effective information sharing was the lifeblood of security agencies’ efforts to prevent, investigate, and prosecute crimes.

Egbetokun also averred that intellegelence sharing enablessecurity agencies to identify patterns, and anticipate potential threats.
He said this in Abuja during the official opening of a three-day workshop on West African Police Information Systems (WAPIS), organised by Ministry of Police Affairs, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force.

The workshop was themed: “Interagency Collaboration on Information Sharing Among Law Enforcement Agencies in Nigeria.”

Represented by Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Intellegelence Department, Dasuki Galadanchi, the IG said in today’s world, where criminals had increasingly grown in sophistication and were constantly collaborating and networking, the law enforcement agencies must match their level of advancement and innovation in order to stay ahead.

He said as law enforcement professionals and stakeholders in the criminal justice sector, they acknowledged that the safety and security of their communities relied heavily on the effective and timely exchange of critical information.

Each agency, he said, contributed unique insights, data, and experiences which when shared, could collectively foster a comprehensive understanding of the threats that imperil national and regional security.

“As we gather in this collaborative spirit, we must be mindful that our collective efforts are vital to tackling the complex security challenges we face today as a people with common interest.

“Therefore, the importance of information sharing among security agencies cannot be overemphasised as it is a very crucial aspect of our collective efforts to combat crime and ensure public safety.

“When we share information, we multiply our strengths and minimise our weaknesses. We create a web of knowledge that is far more powerful than the sum of our individual efforts,” he said.

In his keynote address, the Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, said there was an urgent need for all the law enforcement agencies to synergise on the future of the sub regional security architecture with all the required speed and political will.

He noted that with the rising security challenges and threats in the country, there was no better time than now to build on strengthening inter agency collaboration through sharing of vital intelligence and classified information to curb the menace.