The Commissioner of Police in Kwara state, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, has constituted Police/Community Committee in the 16 local government councils in the state to work out the recruitment of special constables to be recruited into the Nigeria-Police force.
Addressing traditional rulers at a meeting held at the Police officers’ mess in Ilorin on Thursday, Egbetokun charged the natural rulers to embrace Community Policing which he said is a way of guaranteeing security in their various communities.
The Police commissioner who said that Community Policing will ensure that every Community is safe said that the rulers should collaborate with the Police by taking responsibility on the safety of their subjects.
He said, “Security is the responsibility of everyone in the community, we want the royal father’s active collaboration, we should sit down together, identify the problems and profer solutions to them. If criminals see that Police and Community are working together, they will stop carrying out their nefarious activities in the community and such Community would be free of criminals.”
Egbetokun said that the Inspector General of Police would soon begin the recruitment of Special Constables into the force adding that traditional rulers would play major role in the recruitment exercise because they know the right people to be involved in the security of their communities.
“The people to be recruited as special constables will be volunteers, responsible, decent and one of impeachable character in your community. You know those who genuinely want to serve their community.
“I have instructed all the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in the local government councils to constitute Community Police Committee and you will be meeting from time to time to deliberate on the security of your area”, he said.
He said that the problem of shortage of manpower in the Police would be solved with the recruitment of Special Constables into the force.
The traditional rulers who numbered about four hundred suggested that local hunters in their communities be trained on modern ways of combating crimes while attractive remuneration should be paid to the Police.
They also enumerated some of the problems in their area which included shortage of manpower and non availability of Police stations in their area.
Others include lack of protection for informants who volunteered useful security information on activities of criminals to the Police and lack of vehicles to convey arrested criminals to the Police station.
