Stakeholders comprising labour/town union executives, traditional/religious leaders, civil servants, politicians, law makers, human right activists, opinion leaders and indeed the general public in Ebonyi North Senatorial zone have unanimously adopted community policing as the best strategy towards curbing the recent security menace bedeviling the country.
The adoption followed an intensive campaign on community policing flagged off by the National Orientation Agency, Ebonyi State recently at headquarters of Abakaliki Local Government Area.
Speaking during the campaign, the State Director of the agency, Dr Emma Abah explained to the people that the programme was a vital national exercise that calls for the attention of patriotic Nigerians, who are to fashion out pragmatic and people-centred approach to strengthen the pillars of peace and security in our society.
Dr Abah reminded the stakeholders, especially the traditional rulers of their roles in the society prior to the coming of white men. He regretted that the leaders in the society, instead of collaborating with the police, after its creation to oversee that work, left the entire work of policing in the hands of the instituted force. He insisted that such was wrong and detrimental to the peace, security and development of any society.
In his words: “Before the coming of the colonialists, traditional rulers and other leaders in the community were involved in ensuring security of citizens and their properties. This they achieved by maintaining law and order through their native authority system as well as their vast network of intelligence-gathering system.
“With the institution of police force during the colonial rule, the community leaders relinquished their responsibilities to the police instead of collaborating with them to ensure a more perfect security system.”
The director advised the community leaders to go back to the old system where policing was the responsibility of all adults in a community.
He said: “It is not because the instituted police have failed us completely. No! But because we need all members of the community to become allies in the effort to enhance their safety and the quality of their neighbourhood.”
Also addressing the people, the chairman on the occasion and member representing Abakaliki/Izzi Constituency at the National Assembly, Hon. Sylvester Ogbaga said the gathering was essential since it sensitises the people on the need to give a zone-to-zone intervention to the issue of security.
Regretting, he said: “Before now, we have had people display reluctant attitudes towards the police, especially in the area of providing them with adequate information to work with, but today, all Ebonyi North stakeholders are here to correct that attitude by calling on all to rise and respect our security agencies.
“The message is that you and I have roles to play in the security of our lives and property. We must be responsive to the happenings around our environs since we can see that nobody is escaping the situation. There is danger everywhere and everybody must be aware of it.”
Hon. Ogbaga urged all participants at the forum to assist in the proper dissemination of the campaign message to the people in the hinterlands, insisting that they must be involved if the enforcement must take place.
In a goodwill message, the officer in charge of Servicom, Francis Onyedindu, an ASP who represented the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, CP Maigari Dikko FDC, reiterated that security is paramount to the survival and sustenance of any democratic policy in any given society, stressing that “community policing is a philosophy that promotes organisational strategies, which supports the systematic use of partnership and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.”
He advised the people to adopt community policing as a means of building a close tie between the police and the people, insisting that the police remains everybody’s friend.
Also speaking, representatives of other security agencies namely Nigerian Immigration Service, State Security Service, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, present at the forum, noted that the philosophy of community policing rested on the belief that the security agencies and the community must work together as partners to solve the contemporary challenges faced in today’s society.
”The focus of community-oriented policing is not necessarily on response, but on preventing crime and resolving community problems,” he added.
Continuing, he said: “Effective community policing has a positive impact on reducing crime, helping to reduce fear of crime and enhancing the quality of life of people within the community. It accomplishes these things by combining the efforts and resources of security agencies, community government and members in search for solutions to communal problems.”
They also agreed that there was need for security agencies to share information among themselves to facilitate adequate provision of security for the people
While appreciating that government and community leaders are beginning to recognise the importance of involving themselves in the protection of their areas, the Ebonyi North Zonal Assistant Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Anthony Uguru, maintained that the communities must take a unified stand against crime, violence and disregard for law and must also make a commitment to increasing crime prevention and intervention activities.
He advised the community leaders to immediately identify critical areas in their communities that need local intervention, institute a community policing committee, as well as a standard operating procedure in conducting community policing in their areas.
He called on the participants to rise to the challenge of nipping insecurity in the bud.
He said: “No single agency can solve this complex social problem alone. A combined community cum police effort will definitely restore the safety of our neighbourhood. Let us join hands to make our society safe.”
The chairman of the Abakaliki Local Government Area, Hon. Batholomew Ottah,, expressed satisfaction that his council was the flag-off point of such an important issue. He urged the residents to adopt the good messages preached by National Orientation Agency, Ebonyi State.
Hon. Elizabeth Oshianu, Emmanuel Nwuzor, Solomon Ochopa, Simon Edezie and Nwobashi Cornelius who also were at the summit, condemned some security agents, who, on retirement, become threats to their societies instead of continuing with protecting the people. They advised them to desist from such act.
They further urged the security agencies to ensure that they keep to their promise of keeping them from harm, especially when they disclose vital information to them.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Abakaliki Central Police Station, SP Josephat Okoye, thanked NOA for the programme, even as he appreciated the participants for turning out en masse to adopt a strategy for solving this contemporary challenge.
