The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, on Tuesday called on state governments and his personnel to ensure that persons drafted into the community policing system are people with proven character and integrity.
He said the Federal Government has adopted community policing to check crime and criminality, a practice he said, was obtainable in most parts of the world.
The police boss, who stated this when he addressed officers and men of the Edo State Command during a familiarization tour of the state, said statistics have shown a reduction in the level of crime in some parts of the country compared to what was obtainable when he asumed office.
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He said: “From statistics, I can say that security situation in South-South, South-East and the South-West has changed greatly from what we met. We are also doing our best to improve the situation in the North.
“If every state is fighting crime like Edo, 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 the practice is obtainable worldwide. Those that would be in the community police should not to be selected by you (the police) but are to be picked by their traditional, religious, or social leaders so as not to compromise the system. They must be screened and trained for the job.
“They must be told their boundaries and ensure that the work within the law. For instance when they make an arrest, they hand over such persons to the police for prosecution instead of taking the law into their own hands.”
He commended the state government on its efforts to help the police rebuild the Police Training School in Ogida, Benin City.
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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. The problem is not only in Edo, there are places that are even worse. We are working to make improvement and there is better synergy between us and all the other security agencies in fighting crime.”
Earlier in government house, Governor Godwin Obaseki commended the police for its efforts in the state and commended the collaboration between the police and other security agencies in fighting crime in the state.
While assuring that his government would continue support the police with arms and other logistics for better performance, he called on the police boss to set up special squad to help combat rising conflicts between communities.