Enugu – The Nigeria Police says it will intensify efforts to boost its community policing strategy with a view to combating activities of insurgents in the country.
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Abubakar Adamu, made the call in Enugu on Thursday while declaring open a seminar on `Modern Policing’ organised by the Justice For All (J4A) of the British Department for International Development (DFID).
Adamu, who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Oyekunle Olaoye, urged landlords to be careful of tenants they rented their houses to.
According to him, days are gone when security was left for security agencies alone.
“It is now a collective responsibility of all and sundry because insurgency has taken a different dimension globally.’’
The commissioner explained that community policing was part of efforts of the police to involve communities in checking criminal activities from within.
Adamu urged the citizens to endeavour to know their neighbours and monitor their environment for suspicious movements.
He also appealed to the people to cooperate with the police and other security agencies in fighting crime by reporting suspicious movements in their communities.
He commended J4A for enhancing police community relationship in the state through capacity building.
“Enugu, as the most peaceful state, was made possible by the cooperation of the non-governmental organisations and governments,’’ he said.
In her speech, the leader of J4A, Mrs Josephine Onah, said the essence of the forum was to sensitise the public on modern policing and their rights.
Onah said the organisation had embarked on numerous activities that impacted the lives of the people, especially in the area of security.
The leader expressed regret over the high incidence of rape, especially of minors in the state, and urged the police to assist in tackling the crime.
“We have a referral centre on sexual assault called Tamar Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC) run by the Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL) in partnership with some state government agencies.
“This initiative was set up to provide rapid, holistic and high quality free medical, counselling and other support services to victims and survivors of sexual assaults in the state and beyond.’’
The leader urged the public to report any case of sexual assault to the police for proper care of the victim and for the law to take its cause.
In his reaction, the Community Policing Project team leader in the state, Mr Philip Arugbukam, expressed satisfaction with the activities of J4A to better the lives of the people.
Arugbukam, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, expressed the hope that the units created by the group would eliminate cases of drug abuse, rape and child abuse, which had been the major problem in the state.
In his contribution, the traditional ruler of Enugu Urban Autonomous Community, Igwe Moses Nnamdi, described the forum as `marvellous’.
“I wish that I have all the members of our community here to get first hand information; but since the reverse is the case, I will probably take this message home for the good of our community,’’ he said.