No fewer than 160 personnel of the Ondo State Police Command have been trained on intelligence gathering in order to boost the security architecture of the state.

With the police operatives drawn from police divisions and formations across the state, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Wilfred Afolabi, stressed that the command under his watch is focusing on enhancing intelligence gathering to tackle security challenges.

While declaring the three-day training open with the theme ‘Basic Intelligence Course’, Afolabi stressed that intelligence gathering and firmness are crucial in ensuring a peaceful state.

According to the police boss, with the training, personnel will be better positioned to bridge the existing gaps, rebuild public trust, and enhance the overall security architecture of communities across the 18 council areas of the state.

Afolabi said the participants will leverage intelligence-gathering tools to drive policing strategies and prevent crimes in the coastal state.

He said, “Intelligence gathering is one of the most important sections that is instrumental to breakthroughs when it comes to policing, and it’s so unfortunate that it’s one aspect that is so neglected.

“When I was the Assistant Commissioner of Police, OC Intelligence, Lagos, it gave me the opportunity to know that wherever I find myself, I should pursue the subject of intelligence gathering holistically. So, what we see happening today did not come by accident. And to put the icing on the cake, it falls in line with the agenda of our Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun.

“The IGP too feels so concerned about the subject of intelligence, and just two weeks ago, he was in Ilorin to revamp the intelligence school. Part of his agenda, too, is on capacity building because we can’t be talking about professionalism, and then we exclude training. The catalyst that brings out professionalism is training and capacity building. And you will discover that since I arrived, that has been my focus.”

The Commissioner of Police further stated that in an increasingly complex security environment, timely and accurate intelligence has proven indispensable in preventing crime, maintaining public order, and enhancing community trust, hence the need for the training.

Afolabi emphasised that intelligence gathering remains the cornerstone of effective policing, serving as the foundation upon which operational efficiency and successful law enforcement activities are built.