Hassan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos that the trend would continue as the aim was to ensure that police presence was more visible than in the past.

“We attribute the low crime rate during Yuletide to preparation because if one plans rightly, definitely things will work out well.

“Weeks before the Yuletide, the Inspector-General (I-G), Mr Solomon Arase, called us to Abuja where we held a meeting to review our plans for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“He gave us necessary direction which when we got back to our various bases we implemented them all.

“We called the Commissioners of Police, the Area Commanders and the Squadron Commanders.

“We fine tuned the instructions the I-G gave us about prompt response to distress calls and visibility policing. The I-G wants police to be everywhere,’’ he said.

Hassan also said that the Lagos State Government had contributed to the low crime rate during the Yuletide by donating patrol vehicles to the command.

The AIG added that motorcycles were given to the police by good spirited members of the public to be utilised with the vehicles to provide adequate protection during and after the Yuletide.

He said that some of the vehicles were sent to the highways to ensure robberies were checked and that the people travelling were safe.

“You are aware that the Lagos State Government gave about 186 vehicles to ensure that policemen move around and intercept any form of crime.

“All these send fears into some of the criminals and some of them stayed away from criminalities.

“We are assuring the people travelling during and after Yuletide, especially at the interchanges, from Berger to Ogere junction, to Benin, Sagamu road up to J4, that they have police presence.

“Assurance has also been given to the people travelling that the highways will be safe now that people are coming back and that we are replicating the same thing.

“We did not ask our men to leave the highways because the Yuletide is over,’’ he told NAN as he reviewed police operations during the period.

“We have planned to ensure that police presence everywhere in the states will send fear into the criminals and this will help to curb crime.

“ People are now saying that this is the safest Christmas in five years, we cannot appraise ourselves but I am sure the people will do.’’

Hassan also urged members of the public to call the control room numbers to complain of misconduct by policemen or if police presence was not seen in their areas.