Police pledge to sensitise public through reading in Enugu

The Police in Enugu State says it will collaborate with the Coal City Literary Forum to combat crime through a reading campaign.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Enugu, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, said this in Enugu on Monday while interacting with the forum members.

According to him, the police do not believe in using force or violence to change the society, but through sensitisation.

The police will always identify with groups that engage in crime preventing programmess aimed at changing the society.

We have already embarked on campaign against cultism in secondary schools in the state and we are ready to partner with the forum in enthroning reading culture among students to reduce crime rate.

People generally no longer read and if you do not read, you cannot lead.Many people do not even read newspapers. It is that bad,’’ he said.

Amaraizu commended the forum in its efforts at reawakening the reading consciousness of the people in the state.

Earlier, the President of the forum, Mrs Adaobi Nwoye, said the organisation was formed to promote reading culture and sharpen skills among people, especially the youth.

Nwoye said the forum wanted to identify areas of collaboration with the police in fighting crimes through its sensitisation programmes.

The president said that the group wanted to key into the police programmes in fighting crimes in the state.

We observed that children no longer read apart from school work. If children are positively engaged in reading they will not engage in crimes.

The societal value is very low and one of the causes of cultism is the absence of language.

We want children to encounter language through quality books,’’ she said.

The president said the forum had been engaging the pupils and students in reading sessions, adding that it had introduced an activity called `Readers are Leaders’ campaign where some leaders would read to students in their former schools.

The essence is to use them as role models for students so that they know that it was through reading that they became leaders,’’ Nwoye said.

She commended the police for its efforts in ensuring security of lives and property in the state, noting that there had been relative peace in Enugu State. (NAN)