The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, on Wednesday said that the Force needed to reconnect with members of the public to regain their trust and end insecurity in the country.
The commissioner stated this while receiving an award as ‘Crime Crusher’ of the Police Force from the Oyo State chapter of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also decorated as patrons of PCRC were the Chief Executive Officer of Crime Alert Network, Gbenga Olaniyan; Rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Prof. Azeez Adebiyi; and Sabiganna of Iganna Kingdom, Oba Saliu Azeez, among others.
Olukolu said the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, had placed emphasis on community policing because the police cannot secure the country alone without the support of members of the community.
He said that the police needed to gain the trust of the people for the community to provide useful information that would help in tacking insecurity.
“We need to come together with the members of the public and find lasting solution to the problem of insecurity in Nigeria.
“There is the need to sit down together and partner with critical stakeholders in the security of our environment.
“We will partner with all groups and individuals to enhance the performance of our duty and do whatever it takes to ensure the security of life and property of the people of Oyo State and Nigeria in general.
“The police is your friend and please don’t hesitate to provide information that would help in securing the state,”Olukolu said.
He commended the PCRC in the state for its support, saying the achievements recorded so far by the command was with the support of the body in the state.
In his remarks, Olaniyan said that he was worried about the insecurity in the country, adding that this informed his invention of a device that would assist the police in locating crime scenes easily.
Olaniyan also said that his being decorated as PCRC patron in the state would enable him to contribute his quota in supporting the police.
He called on government to allow private individuals who have the knowledge to partner with the police in tackling insecurity in Nigeria.