The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2 Command, Lagos, Ahmed Ilyasu, has remphasised that community partnership in policing is the only solution to crime fighting in the country.
While commissioning new office buildings, conference hall, recreation hall and other facilities at Area ‘B’ Police Command in Apapa, Lagos, he said community-based policing had become popular as a strategy for effective security and crime prevention in communities across Nigerian states.
Iliyasu said the recent graduation of 1,250 Civilian Special Constabulary (CSC) batch two from Lagos and other states was a further confirmation that community policing had come to stay.
According to him, community problems are best known by the society while the role of the police is to serve efficiently to solve these problems and embrace the community members as critical stakeholders that expect quality service.
“The epoch-making ceremony today further buttresses the importance of partnership and two-way communication between the police and the public. It is obvious fact that security is everybody’s business and the need for a result-oriented collaboration of the type we are witnessing today will further strengthen our resolve to work together, take a very inclusive look at problems in our community and rely upon community police collaboration to proffer solution,” he said.
Iliyasu, however, admonished all officers to have understanding of community needs and lay emphasis on treating community members with respect, justly, fairly, and equitably, while he further stated that involvement of key community members in policing required reciprocity, trust and mutual responsiveness.
“It is my prayer that the trust and bond between the police and the community that yielded this outstanding result in Apapa will be replicated in other parts of Lagos State and Nigeria,” he added.
“I thank everyone for their valuable contributions in kind or cash to achieve this laudable feat. The police in reciprocity judiciously make use of these facilities to advance the course of justice, human rights, fair play, transparency and fight crime and criminality to a standstill.
The Area Commander, Akinbayo Olasoji, in his opening remarks, said the renovation was as a result of his quest to always make a difference wherever he finds himself.
“I do not see anything wrong in improving the environment where I work. What you are seeing here were also done when I was DPO Ikeja and the Area Commander in Ikeja.”
He further thanked those who supported the vision financially and morally. Oba Abdul-Fatai Aromire, Oba of Iganmu, in his goodwill message, thanked the area commander on behalf of the Apapa people.