Experts list ways to check crime insecurity
To prevent a repeat of the insecurity witnessed during the COVID-19 lockdown and the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest, the Managing Director of Linklegal Consulting, Professor Ademola Abass has called for a re-order of the Police-Citizens relations, while the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun said there is need for security agencies to change strategy to preventive instead of punitive.
They stated this at a one-day high-level security workshop titled: ‘Securing Lagos during and after the COVID-19 lockdown: Preparing for the unknown’ for security operatives in Lagos State, organised by LSSTF and Linklegal Consulting.
Abass noted that there is a collective failure in security agencies-populace relationship, which does not promote trust from both parties.
He added that there is need to change name of the Nigeria Police Force to Nigeria Police Service, considering the country’s long history of military rule.
Balogun stated that crime prevention is the way to go, because most times when crimes occur, the negative impact is too much. He further said the citizens must contribute in policing the state, wondering what is wrong if all private organisations have CCTV cameras within their facilities, which could aid investigation.
In his opening remark, Abass said the workshop was not motivated by the #EndSARS protests. “The workshop was planned, and its theme decided, long before the protests broke out.”
He said the workshop’s theme was informed chiefly by the peculiar challenges of securing Lagos during the pandemic lockdown. “If the lockdown and the EndSARS protests taught us anything in Nigeria, it is precisely that we must be proactive in tackling the root causes of insecurity in our country,” Abass said.
