The Senate on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Police Affairs
to invite the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to
suggest ways and means the country could actualise community
policing.
The directive followed a motion on “The need to Post Junior
Cadre of Nigeria Police Force to their States and Local Government
to enhance community policing in Nigeria” sponsored by Sen. Ademola
Adeleke (PDP-Osun).
While leading debate on the motion, Adeleke said that the senate
was “concerned that government inconsistency in policy
implementation had affected welfare of police personnel.
He said that the implication of the situation was that it was
adversely affecting citizens in the society in terms of service
delivery.
He stressed that it was desirous that the lower rank of Police
Force should be posted to their respective states of origin to
improve and impact positively on community policing.
According to the lawmaker, this will be possible through
synergising with vigilante groups, traditional rulers so as to
address the current state of insecurity in the country.
He said that there had been calls for the establishment of state
police to proffer lasting solution to the perennial security
challenges due in the country.
Adeleke said that the lapse in security was due to
“ineffectiveness or outright bias of the Nigerian Police Force in
carrying out their national assignment’’.
He also observed that the disconnection between the Nigerian
Police and the various communities with their different cultural
values and orientation created a vacuum that needed to be filled
through community policing.
He that it would avail the Federal Police the opportunity to
concentrate on its primary duties of detection, prevention and
prosecution of crime at the national level.
In his contribution, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP-Taraba) said
implementing community policing would help check crime in
communities across the country.
Bwacha, who is Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, noted that
persistent killings and other criminal activities would have
reduced drastically or even stopped if the police had been working
with vigilante or other community security groups.
“Community policing is very important in stopping criminals and
enhance security in the country.
“It will be easier for the Police to maintain law and order if
there is community policing, because it will create a synergy in
policing and create sense of belonging in the people of the
community”.
Sen. Sam Egwu (PDP-Ebonyi) said “this motion will go a long way
in addressing the well-being and accommodation of junior cadre of
the police.”
He added that it would also help in securing and protecting
communities in the country.
On his part, Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Olusola Adeyeye, said “in
this atmosphere of insecurity, the time has come to promote
community policing.”
He said that if the central police worked with the community
police, the synergy would ensure that communities were well
fortified and closely secured.
“All crimes are local and if you can’t speak the local language,
you are not likely to address the security issues in the
communities,” he said.
In his remarks, Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike
Ekweremadu, who presided at the plenary, urged police authorities
to implement its idea of enhancing community policing in the
country.
He pointed out that different countries had different policing
architecture for the enhancement of security.
Ekweremadu, however, affirmed that “it is difficult to address
the issue of community policing without first, decentralising the
police to ascertain their state, down to their local government and
their communities”.
NAN
The Senate on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Police Affairs
to invite the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to
suggest ways and means the country could actualise community
policing.
The directive followed a motion on “The need to Post Junior
Cadre of Nigeria Police Force to their States and Local Government
to enhance community policing in Nigeria” sponsored by Sen. Ademola
Adeleke (PDP-Osun).
While leading debate on the motion, Adeleke said that the senate
was “concerned that government inconsistency in policy
implementation had affected welfare of police personnel.
He said that the implication of the situation was that it was
adversely affecting citizens in the society in terms of service
delivery.
He stressed that it was desirous that the lower rank of Police
Force should be posted to their respective states of origin to
improve and impact positively on community policing.
According to the lawmaker, this will be possible through
synergising with vigilante groups, traditional rulers so as to
address the current state of insecurity in the country.
He said that there had been calls for the establishment of state
police to proffer lasting solution to the perennial security
challenges due in the country.
Adeleke said that the lapse in security was due to
“ineffectiveness or outright bias of the Nigerian Police Force in
carrying out their national assignment’’.
He also observed that the disconnection between the Nigerian
Police and the various communities with their different cultural
values and orientation created a vacuum that needed to be filled
through community policing.
He that it would avail the Federal Police the opportunity to
concentrate on its primary duties of detection, prevention and
prosecution of crime at the national level.
In his contribution, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP-Taraba) said
implementing community policing would help check crime in
communities across the country.
Bwacha, who is Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, noted that
persistent killings and other criminal activities would have
reduced drastically or even stopped if the police had been working
with vigilante or other community security groups.
“Community policing is very important in stopping criminals and
enhance security in the country.
“It will be easier for the Police to maintain law and order if
there is community policing, because it will create a synergy in
policing and create sense of belonging in the people of the
community”.
Sen. Sam Egwu (PDP-Ebonyi) said “this motion will go a long way
in addressing the well-being and accommodation of junior cadre of
the police.”
He added that it would also help in securing and protecting
communities in the country.
On his part, Senate Chief Whip, Sen. Olusola Adeyeye, said “in
this atmosphere of insecurity, the time has come to promote
community policing.”
He said that if the central police worked with the community
police, the synergy would ensure that communities were well
fortified and closely secured.
“All crimes are local and if you can’t speak the local language,
you are not likely to address the security issues in the
communities,” he said.
In his remarks, Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike
Ekweremadu, who presided at the plenary, urged police authorities
to implement its idea of enhancing community policing in the
country.
He pointed out that different countries had different policing
architecture for the enhancement of security.
Ekweremadu, however, affirmed that “it is difficult to address
the issue of community policing without first, decentralising the
police to ascertain their state, down to their local government and
their communities”.
NAN
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