2015 NSS SUMMIT: IGP SOLOMON ARASE HARPS ON COMMUNITY POLICING

Ahead of the 2015 National Security Summit of the Nigeria Police Force, the IGP, Solomon Arase insists that community policing remains key to ridding the county of terrorism, kidnapping, murder, cultism, violence and other crimes which impacts negatively on the country’s development.

Addressing Newsmen in Abuja, the IGP represented by the FPRO, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu maintained that persons involved in crimes in various communities are often known to members of such communities.

He however decried the existing gap between the police and citizens which he said prevents them from seeing crime and national security management as a joint obligation of all.

In his words “The overriding motivation for the summit is the appreciation of the fact that there is an urgent need to bridge the gap between the police and the community in order to restore public trust.”

The summit, Arase said is therefore aimed at creating a veritable platform to encourage community engagement in policing and to strengthen the synergy between law enforcement agencies and different communities in the country towards crime and national security management.

“The Summit among others is aimed at tapping into and optimally maximizing the value of citizens as indispensable intelligence assets that could be engaged to attain the intelligence-led policing vision of the Force leadership.”

The IGP expressed optimism that the outcome of the summit will not only strengthen national security but also re-energize the Force towards the realization of its core policing mandate.

In the meantime, President Muhammadu Buhari, The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Sa’ad Abubakar III as well as over 400 participants cutting across traditional rulers, CSOs, Religious bodies, Corporate and Student bodies among others are expected to attend the summit which has as theme, “Community Partnership approach to internal security and crime management.”