#Insecurity: IG Arase advocates community policing as FG plans to recruit 10,000

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President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, promised that the Federal Government would recruit 10,000 additional police personnel to beef up the existing capacity of the Nigeria Police in fighting terrorism and other criminal activities in the country.

The President, spoke while declaring open a National Security Conference held in Abuja by the Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with The Sun Publishing Limited.

He said his administration was also planning expansion of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring system across major cities and towns to address national security challenges. Buhari said there is no going back on the war against corruption and vowed to return Nigeria to those days when integrity in service was the hallmark of success.

The President said there would be no hiding place for criminals no matter who they are and their status in the society. He said, “While it is understandable that unemployment, illiteracy, radicalisation, negative peer group influence, substances abuse and erosion of family and moral values are social factors that underline criminal tendencies, the reality remains that the task of addressing these challenges is that of parents, teachers, community and the state.

“In other words, it is bottom to top operation. It is in acknowledgment of this that I have defined youth empowerment as one of the cardinal objective of our administration.” Consequently, he said “the Federal Government is planning to employ at least extra 10,000 officers and establish a properly trained and equipped Federal anti-terrorism multi-agency task force to effectively address the challenge of future insurgency in a sustainable manner.

“In order to further strengthen the security of the public space, consideration is being given to the expansion of the (Close Circuit Television) CCTV monitoring system across major cities and towns in the country.” According to the president, efforts are being made to enhance the operational capacity of officers and men of Nigeria Police through a rigorous training programme that will give them the right civil orientation in their roles as guardians of the nation’s constitution.

He said his administration would encourage states to look at state-level community interaction with the police under a model that would integrate members of the community to policing functions at the grassroots. This, he said, would be in appreciation of the strategic role of the citizens and community in the modern policing.

The president saluted the leadership of the Nigeria Police for dismantling road blocks, replacing them with motorised patrols with over 500 patrol vehicles to check criminal activities across the country. He reiterated his administration’s determination to ensure efficient, disciplined and people-friendly and well compensated security architecture.