South east Governors, IGP agree on implementation of Community policing.

South East Governors and the Inspector -General of Police, IGP Adamu Mohammed have finally reached an agreement on the implementation of the Community Policing in the zone.

The Chairman, South east Governors' Forum and Ebonyi state Governor, Chief David Umahi who said the agreement was reached in a teleconference on Wednesday added that they have agreed on a common modalities to implement the policy.

He stated that after the meeting, the Inspector-General of Police agreed that the various security apparatus at the local government communities should be deployed.

The South East Governors Forum Chairman noted that part of the agreement reached at the meeting was the training of community members by the police while those trained will in turn carryout the community policing in the different states of the zone.

He further stated that the advisory committee will be headed by the Royal Highness of that community adding that other selected stakeholders will act also as members of this advisory committee.

According to him: This is at the community level and this is well accepted by the governors of SouthEast and other leaders of the zone.

Governor Umahi pointed out that the Inspector General of Police also agreed that the state Commissioners of Police in the zone made mistake adding that anyone that has gone ahead to do the selection process made a mistake.

He said that it was entirely for the Governors and stakeholders to sit down and do the selection of those that will form members of the community policing.

The governors said that the recent communication from the Inspector General of Police to South East governors on community policing composition was not in keeping with the agreement that was reached with him during his last visit to the South-east.

Umahi said: “Since the last 2hrs today, we’ve been having meeting with the Inspector General of Police, IGP Adamu and the five Governors of Southeast attended with the presence of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Ogbonnaya, Nwodo in attendance. Others in attendance were the leaders of Southeast elders, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Jim Nwobodo, traditional rulers”.

“The meeting centred on the communiqué we issued after our Sunday meeting of Governors and leaders of SouthEast at Enugu”.

“We, the governors of Southeast and our leaders, were the first to accept community policing because of the beautiful ingredients of community policing. The IG explained to us when we had the meeting at Enugu and we saw that the idea in the policy included to assist us and so when the CPs made a mistake by going to do the composition by themselves and asked the governors to inaugurate, we felt that something was wrong somewhere and we had to contact IG”.

“At the local government level, we agreed that there will be a local government advisory committee to be headed by the local government Chairman at each local government area. The DPOs and other security agencies, the traditional rulers of that local government and other stakeholders will be the members at that local government level”.

“At the State level, you have the Governor and the security chiefs, the traditional rulers’ Chairman Council and some selected stakeholders and interest group”.

“This is what we have agreed and we agreed that the SouthEast will implement theirs and inaugurate in their various states. When next we meet at Enugu, we will harmonize our views in line with these agreements we reached”.