Lagos, Police Brainstorm On Community Policing

The Lagos State government and the Nigeria Police Force recently brainstormed on how to police rural communities, with a view to tackling insecurity in the state.

Crime prevention at the grassroots formed the fulcrum of discussions at the third monthly interactive stakeholders’ meeting of the Lagos Ministry of Rural Development, relevant government agencies, Nigeria Police, Neighbourhood Watch and Community Development Committees of all the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas LCDAs in the state.

Commissioner for Rural Development, Cornelius Ojelabi stated that in view of the importance of information in crime prevention and control, all Neighbourhood watchers in the state would be provided with walkie talkies before the end of the year for prompt and easy communication with other relevant security agencies on crime related issues in their neighbourhood.

Cornelius, who was represented by the Director, Community Development in the Ministry, Mr. Eniola Awolaru, said the ministry decided to bring all the Area Commanders of the Police in the state to the meeting in order to share their views and together chart a way forward in crime prevention in the state.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Area N, Amos Marcus, urged the Neighbourhood Watchers to be conscious, sensitive and take note of any strange happening or faces in their environment and report promptly to the police because this would go a long way in protecting the people.

He cited the case of a man begging for N5 under a tree, but using a high powered phone and Ipad to record. He said if he was not promptly reported and apprehended, he could end up wreaking havoc on the people.

According to him, “a situation like this is what you should be looking out for and report. This will go a long way in saving our people.”

He also charged Community Development Associations, CDAs, CDCs and other rural dwellers to be inquisitive and take note of what is happening in their areas now that cases of ritual killing had become rampant in the rural areas.

Marcus charged them further to join hands with the police to curb the menace of cultism in the state, adding that some elderly people were now using small boys in the neighbourhood to commit crimes and encourage them to join cults to satisfy their greed. He pleaded with them to report these boys immediately they were sighted in the neighbourhood.

Responding to comments from the CDAs on the nonchalant attitude of junior police officers when cases were reported to them, Marcus advised all CDC/CDA Chairmen to have the phone numbers of Area Commanders in their areas and call them when the police officers in their domain were not responding properly to distress calls.

Speaking on the workings of the police and how the Neighbourhood Watch and CDAs could be relevant to crime fighting in the state, the Area Commander in charge of Elemoro, noted that the police needed the neighbourhood watchers and CDAs for human surveillance since they were closer to the people.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga