Police strategy at tackling crime is failing, says don

• 88 officers awarded diploma in contemporary crime
Acting Vice Chancellor of Elizade University, Ondo State, Prof. Oyeyemi Fadayomi, has lamented that the police strategy at tackling crime is failing, saying the country is at a crossroads in the area of security and human dignity following a series of violent and social disruptions witnessed in different parts of the country.

Fadayomi, in his keynote address at the graduation ceremony of 88 policemen in professional executive diploma in Crime Prevention and Community Safety Course at Halogen Academy, Ikeja, Lagos, said with the present security situation in the country, every Nigerian is at risk more than before.

“What we all observe today is a series of violence and social disruptions resulting in deadly acts being perpetrated against innocent persons. These include kidnapping, bombing of places of worship, motor parks, patrimonial sites and an increasing insurgency and fatal militancy. As a result everybody is at risk than ever before in Nigeria. The greatest risk that we face is the poisoning effect on our body politics and peaceful co-existence of our people”.

Citing the 2017 Crime Incidence Matrix as a glaring attestation to the security situation in Nigeria, Fadayomi said, “ The report showing high rate of offences against property, persons and lawful authority, confirmed that the present police strategy is failing and that crime incidences can be reduced with inclusiveness of community and other stakeholders”.

He however proffered that the way out was for the police to be in constant touch with the best practices in its recruitment and retraining exercises; police community relations through effective community policing programmes, as well as reduction of community violence, sharing of intelligence within and across agencies and the choice of safe weapons to combat conflicts.

Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, admitted that the country was faced with several security challenges ranging from insurgency in the South-East, Fulani/ farmers clash in the Middle belt, kidnappings and other violent crimes in other parts of the country.

The IGP who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Lagos State command, DCP Mohammed Ali, was however quick to add that the problem was being addressed through community policing, which he described as a proactive method of fighting crime.

To the graduating policemen, the Police boss said “ For crime to be proactively tackled and for community policing to succeed, there are basic components needed: the need to have community lectures, need to have close synergy among security agencies and human capital development, that is training and retraining, which is why you came here.

Chief Executive Office, Halogen Group, Mr. Wale Adeoye, said the 88 policemen drawn from different units of the Lagos State Police Command met the conditions for graduating, adding that that the current trend in risk management “ will equip our students with requisite skills set to adequately mitigate risk that comes with the modern day security threats.