No Police Will Die Fighting Crimes Again In Nigeria, Says IGP
Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has assured that henceforth, no officer of the force will die again while fighting crimes in Nigeria.
Adamu disclosed that the much touted community policing will commence nationwide, any moment from now.
The IG gave the assurance while addressing officers and men of during his visit to the Ogun state command on Friday in Abeokuta, the state capital, saying the Ogun state police command would be taking possession of brand new set of security patrol vehicles donated to it by the state governor, Dapo Abiodun.
The new set of security vehicles comprised of 100 brand new Toyota Hilux and 200 units of motorbikes.
Adamu said that casualties often recorded in the course of police fighting crimes in Nigeria has become a serious source of concerns to the federal government which now resolved to priorities the welfare of the police personnel nationwide.
Towards arresting this trend however, Adamu explained that federal government has acquired the State-of-the-art security vehicles and body armour; all wired with modern technology such a way that will adequately protect officers in the course of fighting crimes and criminality in Nigeria.
He stated further that the new security vehicles is so much equipped with cameral and other technology that will make any police patrol team detect and clearly screen a scene of the crime from a far-away distance even before getting to the spot of the crime.
He also explained that the federal government has redesigned the police welfare package in such a way that will take care of the officers and men’s health conditions through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as well as new mortgage scheme that will afford all police officers to own homes of their own without much hassle.
According the IGP, any police officer who desires to own a 2-bedroom flat will be expected maintain a savings account with the new Police Mortgage Bank, while those with deteriorating health condition of himself or members of his family which the NHIS cannot sustain, will be assisted by the newly established Police Health Maintenance Office of every command.
As part of the efforts towards reducing the gap between the police and the public, IGP Adamu explained that the federal government has resolved that communities should take over the policing of their environment, while the conventional police force should give them the needed backups and supports.
Towards actualising this however, Adamu said the police hierarchy has evolved a strategy that will make it identify and recruit the new intakes from among the well established, “communities” such as the traditional institutions, market associations and but not limited to the transport unions and the academia.
Such community police officers to be recruited, according to the IG, will have to be those born and brought up from such communities in order to enable them function effectively on the job.
The IGP however, enjoined police officer, particularly those from the Ogun command not to be deterred in the discharge of their duties, stressing that the state governor has always been proud and commended their gallant efforts towards warding off crimes in the state.
