Adejoke Adeleye,Abeokuta
The Ogun State Police Commissioner, Ahmed Iliyasu, has highlighted the reason that police need to be more equipped to fight crime in the state and the country at large.
The CP made this statement during a lecture entitled “Security Orientation and Induction Course,” organised by the Ogun state Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in Abeokuta. He said the police need new techniques in order to police the people’s lives and properties.
In his words: “You cannot police people who do not accept you. Therefore it is neccesary or mandatory for anyone who wants successful policing to engage the people.
He added: “On this, I saw a window of opportunity. If I can only give my unwavering support and commitment to tap the potential within the PCRC, it will not take time before the world celebrates our style of policing.
“Some people out there perceive the PCRC as people contracted by the police to help sell our image – although everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. The onus lies on us, however, to educate and sensitize the people (especially the new volunteers that have just decided to join the PCRC) that supporting the police is their civic responsibility.”
The vice chairman of PCRC, DR S.K Popoola, while delivering his lecture on “The Essence of PCRC to the Society” said crime has graduated, so new techniques are needed to fight crime in the society. Therefore the police need the community to work with in order to secure the people because cops cannot be everywhere at the same time.”
The PCRC tasks were, according to him, many. Among them is to partner with the police in the areas of credible information gathering and positively project the image of police to the public.
Dr Popoola stated further that the police and citizens have joint responsibility for reducing crime and improving the quality of life in the society. He stressed that PCRC should not be political, religious, tribal and status based, but everyone must be seen to be important in gathering and passing information across to the police to complement their efforts.
In his welcome address, the state chairman of PCRC, Alhaji Mogaji Ibraheem Olaniyan, commended Governor Ibikunle Amosun, “for his unwavering commitment to ensure that citizens of this state go about their normal duties unmolested. His determined policy of administration on security has made the state to be a centre of attraction to business within and outside the country. Our governor has created the enabling environment for PCRC to succeed.”
Also the executive memebers of Harmony Community Development Association, while inaugurating the Ibara Police Unit in Ibara praised the community for their “moral and financial commitment alongside other personal sacrifices” .