Lagos Police Need 600 Patrol Vehicles For Effective Policing

The Lagos State Police Command needs at least 600 patrol vehicles to effectively police the state  and wage war against crime, says the Chairman, Security Trust Fund, STF, Mr. Remi Makanjuola.

Makanjuola, who spoke at the hand over of 100 patrol vehicles and 50 patrol motorcycles to the  police by the state government at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, South West Nigeria, said if the  police could get additional 600 patrol vehicles, they  would now be able to police the state  effectively.

He disclosed that the STF currently had 184 vehicles in its possession and would need more so that  the police would be able to patrol all the nooks and crannies of the state to arrest criminals.

Handing over the vehicles and the motorcycles to the police, Governor Babatunde Fashola said the  state was ready to further tackle and weaken the defence of robbers in Lagos, saying that the state  had been experiencing peace for a very long time now.

“We are happy that in Lagos, democracy has been very successful.  The politics of machetes and guns  is not happening in Lagos State.

“Crime is a big business and no organisation has the resources government has to fight crime.  We  will continue to invest in security in order to ensure safety of lives and property.  The people’s  taxes are working to provide the enabling environment for business to thrive,” he stated.

According to Fashola, “Lagos is now very safe on land, sea and in the air.  Security is the  platform upon which we build the foundation of the state to bring in investment.

“When we started, no one took us serious.  Our 767 and 112 lines are very effective.  On daily  basis, over 60,000 emergency calls were made to these lines.  People are now working at night;  night life has in deed returned to Lagos.”

The governor warned criminals to stay off Lagos as the government would scoop them out from their  hiding places and punish them.

“If you come to Lagos to commit crime, we will find you out and bring you to justice.  These  vehicles were provided through direct government’s intervention through the supplementary budget of  last year.

“For okada riders using motorcycles to rob people, we will make it impossible for you to succeed.   The motorcycles we have provided will be used to chase you when you commit crime with an okada,” he  said.

Fashola appealed to the police not to use the equipment provided for them to brutalise the people,  urging them to use the equipment judiciously to fight crime in the state.

Outgoing Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr. Marvel Akpoyibo said the 50 patrol motorcycles  was the largest consignment ever received by the police in Lagos at a go, saying that the police in  Lagos were privileged to have a governor who spent a lot of money on  providing security.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga