The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, yesterday, flagged off the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) which is to be nationwide campaign.
Adamu, who was represented by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of zone 9, Baba Tijjani, said this was in-line with Federal Government’s community policing agenda.
He said the Federal Government would focus on community-oriented policing to get all stakeholders involved in stamping out insecurity.
He said the police would synergise and sensitize the members of the public to join in the fight against crime and criminality at the community level.
He said: “I want all Nigerians to key into this programme for the overall reduction in crime in all communities in the country. We want to engage and work together with local citizens to easily identify security threats and proffer local solutions to them.
“To this end, the Federal Government wants to strengthen community police efforts of the Nigeria Police by the recruitment of 40,000 Community Police Constables. Each of the 774 council areas in the country will have a minimum of 50 constables to strengthen security at the local level.
“It will also involve engaging community-based organisations, groups and institutions to see that it work for the better of all.’’
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Maikobi, who spoke on behalf of service chiefs in the state, assured the IG of continuous support of the security agencies to the campaign.
Maikobi, who was represented by the 82 Division Garrison Commander, Brig.-Gen. Sylvester Oloyede, said the existing synergy among the security agencies in Enugu State and other parts of the country had continued to yield positive results.
In a message, Team Lead, Nigeria Policing Programme (NPP), Mrs Kemi Okenyodo, said that the launch of POCACOV was an illustration of the commitment on the part of the Nigeria Police to adopt community policing as a policing strategy in the country.
“The joint identification of societal problems and cross sectorial consultation in a bid to allow the development of local solutions to local problems that have been identified by the society is a key message from the police to all stakeholders present in here today,’’ Okenyodo said.
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