Work with DPOs to stem crime, Lagos CP tells monarchs

Work with DPOs to stem crime, Lagos CP tells monarchs

 

Traditional rulers have been urged to collaborate effectively with the divisional police officers in their locality to stem high rate of criminal activities across the country.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola, gave the advice at a training programme for traditional rulers in Lagos West Senatorial District on Security and Community Relations held at Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule Lagos West Senatorial office in Ikeja, the state capital.

He spoke through Deputy Commissioner of Police Ahmed Lateef from the State CID, Panti, in the Yaba area of Lagos.

He said as members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), it is their responsibility to help curtail crime in their respective areas.

Ishola told the monarchs to avoid being found wanting in land disputes in any part of the metropolis.

The CP noted that since security is the duty of all, it would be counterproductive for any traditional ruler to connive with those encouraging violence within their domain.

He recalled that violence that engulfed part of Abule Oki at a point took their interventions to lay to rest.

He also appealled to residents to work closely with security agencies in securing the state.

According to him, it is not only security agencies that have the power to arrest those found causing chaos in the society, the constitution allows the people to do so and hand them over to the police.

Responding to questions from some of the traditional rulers at the security meeting, the CP said residents could give information to the police and choose to be anonymous in order to allay the fear of being exposed to attack by suspects or criminals.

He described Lagos West as the biggest in the state with a lot of business potential critical to socio-economic development of the state.

According to him, the Lagos West still faces the activities of ‘One Chance’ operators and other criminal tendencies especially in areas where the roads are bad, adding however that frequent arrest of Okada riders had brought down crime rates in the state.

Convener of the security training event and senator representing Lagos West, Senator Idiat Oluranti Adebule, said the forum organised was to demonstrate the beauty and benefits of communal actions in tackling security challenges in the area.

She urged residents to be proactive and give timely information to security operatives for safety of their lives and properties.

Adebule added that efforts should not be focused only on kinetic aspect in terms of security but the non-kinetic was also important.

She expressed the view that any security plan without concern for the people at the grassroots would not succeed, stressing that the forum was to strengthen the synergy between the traditional institutions and security agencies.

According to her, the traditional rulers plays a vital role just like the three arms of government as they settle disputes.

Senator Adebule renewed her pledge towards preserving the traditional institutions and cultures at all times.

Giving a scorecard on her activities in the Senate in the last 18 months, the federal lawmaker said that she had continued to engage with the grassroots through regular palliatives distribution, cash rewards, distribution of fertiliser to farmers, training of 200 people in fisheries as well as providing N100,000 support for them as part of the new drive of Marine economy in the country.

She disclosed that plans were underway to construct a health centre in a riverine town between Ojo and Amuwo to improve access to quality healthcare by residents.

She called for support for President Bola Tinubu, adding that he understood the challenges of the country and was committed to solving them.