—— pledges reduction in crimes
The Ekiti State police Commissioner, Mr Joseph Eribo has charged community leaders and stakeholders in the state on proper dissemination of vital information to the state police force as a substantive way of curbing crimes and criminal activities in the state.
The Commissioner said this on Wednesday while addressing community Leaders, Stakeholders on security matters and the officers and men of the force at the Ado Area Command in Ado Ekiti, the State capital while on familiarization visit to the Police Command.
The Police helmsman said his only message to the community and the stakeholders on community policing is solely based on the issue of information, information gathering, information dissemination and sharing. He stressed further that,for instance, Ado Ekiti is a very big place and there is no way the Police officers can be everywhere at the same time therefore, it is important for the Police to synergise with the leaders and stakeholders in the communities to get vital informations to deal or curb crime and criminal activities in the state.
He explained that the criminals we are talking about are not spirits and they live amongst us in which most of us know them. He said sometimes we shy away from our responsibility simply because the activities of these criminals don’t affect us directly or because of the fear of being attacked.
According to the Commissioner, “I want to assure you that if we allow crime to falter, it will spread and we all become victims of that crime. Simply put, whatever affects your neighbour indirectly affects you and you will even have more regrets if you know about it and you didn’t say it out.
“We know every society has gotten its Good, bad and ugly sides, there is nowhere you go that you don’t have both good and bad people, but the good thing is that miscreants or criminals are fewer but it is when the people refuse to speak out that the bad ones have more chances to strike. But if we all come together and work assiduously, we can see that we can track them, catch them, prosecute them and send them to where they belong which is prison yard.” He said.
Eribo remarked further that the security approach in the fight against unscrupulous elements has made the state to enjoy relative peace. This, he added, brought professionalism to bear on the way officers of the command carry out their duties.
He gave an assurance that information supplied by any member of the public will be treated with the expected confidentiality to avoid the fear of members of the public volunteering information to the police being implicated by the same police at the end.
The Area Commander for Ado Central Police Command, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, Shittu Bolanle, promised that the command will continue to ensure protection of lives and property.
The event was well attended by community Leaders, traditional rulers, Stakeholders from different associations in the state, media, .members of the Police community relations committee, religious leaders, traders among others.
