President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, expressed determination to deploy workable strategies and available resources to restore stability within the national security space.
Buhari said this in Abuja at the opening of a day Zonal Sensitisation Workshop on Community Policing, organised by the Nigeria Police for members of the public.
The theme of the workshop is “Understanding Community Policing; A Framework for Action”.
The President, represented by the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Dingyadi, said government’s efforts at restoring stability in the security of the country required the understanding and cooperation of citizens.
”It is only by working together that we can present a common national front toward defeating criminal elements that are constantly threatening our values and national security interests,” he said.
Buhari said the workshop was timely and critical to the understanding of the concept of community policing and also, guaranteed the successful implementation of the strategy across the country.
Speaking, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, said the workshop was to bridge the knowledge gap in the understanding and implementation process of the community policing concept.
Adamu said that the event would further educate citizens on the principles, processes, practice and the specific roles and obligations of strategic actors within the community policing framework.
“Our community policing implementation plan is in phases and it covers sensitisation of citizens and the police.
“It also involves strategic meetings with critical stakeholders, state governors, local government authorities, traditional rulers and community leaders.
“This is with a view to maintaining a common understanding of the implementation structure and processes of community policing,” he said.
He said that Community Policing Committees in states and local communities had been successfully composed and inaugurated across the country to coordinate the implementation of the strategy at all levels of governance.
The IGP said Community Policing Officers (CPOs) had been successfully screened, vetted, recruited and trained across the country in an exercise, conducted in two batches.
He said a total of 18,360 CPOs had so far been trained with 9,478 in batch one and 8,278 in batch two.
