Kwara state governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Friday flagged off a training course for the newly recruited 1,056 community police constables for the state.
AbdulRazaq said the kick-off of the initiative was long due and urged the residents to always volunteer timely information and support the police to burst criminal networks before they carry out their unlawful activities.
“I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for approving a noble project like this as presented by the Inspector General of Police. This programme is not new all over the world but its implementation at this time is very significant,” he said, at the flag-off in Ilorin.
The governor, however, said the success of community policing depends on the society fully backing it, asserting that police is often a reflection of the society it serves and commending the security agencies, including the police, for their hard work that continues to keep Kwara mostly safe.
“The people are integral to the success of the police. The people will give the information that the police will act on. These constables are products of the society and they will operate within the society that they understand. This is the essence of community policing.”
He tasked the new constables on discipline and commitment to duties which he described as the bedrock of policing jobs.
“Those of you stepping into the community police today have your job cut out for you. You need a lot of discipline to excel. Once you are disciplined, other things will fall in place for you.”
In his remarks, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Bagega, said the initiative was intended to enhance success in the fight against crime.
“The IGP, through the Police Service Commission, wishes to enhance the fight against crimes through intelligence-led policing. Therefore we need information and these people after graduation will be posted back to their respective communities,” he said.
According to him, the constables will, after undergoing a one-month training on security tasks, be deployed to their various communities in the state.
