The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Zubairu Muazu, has sought the cooperation of the citizens and other sister agencies in the state to key into the concept of community policing to achieving a crime-free society. The CP, said, community policing system would allow the citizens to play major roles in the policymaking as well as helping in reducing the crime rate in the society.
He made this call yesterday during a Stakeholders Security meeting with the theme: “Policing the Community by the Community” hosted by the Area Commander, Area F, ACP Olasoji Akinbayo at Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. At the meeting, CP Muazu, said, the essence of the meeting was to deliberate on how to ensure active partnership between the police and the community in providing quality service to the people.
According to Muazu, community policing would allow the police to view their primary roles as providing quality service to the people as well as allow the police to adopt a problem-solving approach in any area of the state.
“Community policing will requires the police involving the community in deciding policing priorities and also to promote transparency and honesty,”
he said.
He added that part of the values of the community policing was that the police must respect and protects the rights of the citizens through demonstrable commitment in delivering the best quality at all time. He also noted that citizens who are with a genuine sense of grievance against the police would have effective redress, because the police are answerable to whatever they do, therefore all officers are admonished to conform with the rule of law.
The town hall meeting was sponsored by Opay Nigeria Limited. Also, speaking at the stakeholders meeting, rights activist, Dr. Joe Odumakin, who said the police have not gained the support from the community to effectively hold grassroots, instead they have been victims of hostile reactions. She noted that community policing would improve police support.
While she admonished the citizen on the need to support police so as to achieve great collaboration with them. “Cooperating with the police will help them solve crimes, and protect the community with less use of arms. I am appealing for support for the police so that we will jointly provide adequate security to the environment”. Earlier, ACP Olasoji in his welcome address said the gathering was to find a lasting solution to curbing the rising crime in the state in the area of cultism, kidnapping, and youthful exuberance.
“The police cannot do it alone, therefore we seek the support and corporation from the people to fight crime in our society,”
he said.
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