The Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hon Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, on Monday, disclosed that Nigeria needs to invest a minimum of N3.4 trillion annually over the next five years to bridge the policing gap in the country.
The minister disclosed this during the first Renewed Hope Agenda Citizens Townhall Engagement on Strengthening Policing in Nigeria, themed: “Community Policing: Building a Safer Nigeria Together,” held at Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim further explained that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had embarked on various police reforms to make the Nigeria Police Force more efficient in their mandate of protecting lives and properties.
- “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 a high level of efficiency in the discharge of its mandate of protecting lives and properties,” the minister said.
Lagos’ efforts at enhancing security in the state
Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, who spoke as a panelist on the town hall engagement stated that the safety of lives and properties has always been a top priority for Lagos State.
He revealed that the state had initiated several strategies to strengthen the capacity of security agencies in Lagos, including the Nigeria Police, through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF).
- “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.
- “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,” Sanwo-Olu explained.
The governor also pointed out that the Lagos State Government in 2016 established the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), a community policing outfit, aimed to bridge the personnel gap of the Nigeria Police in the 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,” Gov. Sanwo-Olu stated.
Also, Sanwo-Olu commended the Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hon Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim and the top echelon of the Nigeria Police for organising the Citizens Town Hall Engagement on Strengthening Policing in Nigeria.
- “You can continue to count on the support, partnership and collaboration of the Lagos State government for the successful implementation of this important agenda,” the Governor assured.
