In the face of apparently soaring of mounting security threats, especially violent crimes in almost parts of the country, Barr. Ken Immasuagbon, popularly known as Rice Man, is advocating again the need for Community Policing.
While speaking to pressmen recently from his base in Abuja, he said, “Community Policing is the way to go as there have been recorded upsurge in violent crimes recently.
The current concept of ‘police’ in Nigeria which is part of the colonial imports is no longer tenable as we are faced with very serious and growing security challenges.
Locally based policemen or government trained and sponsored vigilante groups would develop ties with community leaders when recruited to be part of the security architecture, and this will bring security closer to the people in communities, whether they are urban or local based communities.
These additional security men will work in their own communities or where they are residents because it is easier to understand your community than other who are not members of the community.
“These vigilante groups and other community based policemen, which will compliment the Nigerian Police Force, would be adequately trained and paid(salaries)”
He also talked about the seeming violence in Edo State which is associated with cultism and robbery. “I think the youth should key into the integrating plans of the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s developmental strategies as to arrest unemployment in the state.
“We can see he is youth-oriented from the just concluded Youth Summit recently before the innuaguration. Let the youth who are into criminal illegalities in the state submit their arms and renounce cultism which has been responsible for the killings and robbery incidents in the state.”
Let’s embrace peace, unity and development.” He added that he is readily available to partner the government and non-governmental organizations in finding lasting solutions to the problems of insecurity in the state.
