Nigeria Needs To Invest N3.4tn Annually To Bridge Policing Gap – Minister

The Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hon. Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, has disclosed that Nigeria needs to invest a minimum of N3.4 trillion annually over the next five years to bridge policing gap.

Suleiman-Ibrahim spoke on Monday during the Renewed Hope Police Agenda Citizens Townhall Engagement on Strengthening Policing in Nigeria, themed: “Community Policing: Building a Safer Nigeria Together,” held at Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to a statement by Gboyega Akosile, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the minister said the engagement was aimed at fostering collaboration between the police and the public, as well as strengthening community policing, promoting development and research, increasing trust and confidence in the Nigeria Police, amongst others.

“We want a Nigeria Police that is recognised for professionalism, transparency, accountable practices. A force that is inclusive, community-based, technology-driven and intelligently led with high level of efficiency in the discharge of its mandate of protecting lives and properties,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, Sanwo-Olu, said that considering the police personnel strength of less than 20,000, Lagos with a population of over 22 million is “grossly” under-policed by international standards.

The governor who was part of the panelists, called for modernisation of the security architecture and operations with the deployment of state-of-the-art technology for improved efficiency, noting that the security personnel need smartphones to enhance information dissemination and intelligence.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to security, saying the state government has always been in support of the desire to embrace community policing as a strategy to enhance the safety of lives and property.

“Lagos State Government has always been in support of the desire to embrace community policing as a strategy to enhance the safety of lives and property. The establishment of Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps established in 2016 was in pursuance of the government’s effort to promote community policing in Lagos State.

“There is no gainsaying that with less than 20,000 personnel strength, Lagos State, with a population of over 22 million is grossly under-policed by international standards. One of the ways we can bridge this gap is to encourage the involvement of the people through community policing. In addition, we must also modernise our security architecture and operations with the deployment of state-of-the-art technology for improved efficiency.

“As I speak, we are currently installing smart cameras across the city. These cameras are connected to a Command and Control centre where several points in the city are monitored in real-time. The command and control centre has direct lines to the Police emergency first responders, fire and rescue service among others,” Sanwo-Olu said.

“For us in Lagos State, and as should be expected of the economic, commercial and industrial nerve centre of Nigeria, the safety of lives and property has always been a top priority. It is a strong factor in our administration’s commitment to create and sustain a conducive environment that is attractive for local and foreign investment.

On his part, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said the choice to host the first Renewed Hope Agenda Citizens Townhall Engagement in Lagos was based on the social, political and economic importance, hence the need to feel the purse of Lagosians on security in diverse ways.

“To achieve this objective, we have initiated a number of strategies aimed at strengthening the capacity and the will of the Lagos State Police Command and other security agencies in the State to enhance their effectiveness in tackling security challenges in all the nooks and crannies of the State.

“We have been able to achieve this largely through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), a special purpose vehicle created in 2006 to finance security in the State. Through this platform to which individuals and corporate organisations have continued to contribute both financially and materially, we have been able to support the Police and other sister security agencies with thousands of vehicles and equipment that have gone a long way to strengthen the security architecture in the State,” the governor further stressed.

The town hall engagement was organised by the Ministry of Police Affairs.