The Bayelsa state Police Command has recruited and given special training to 106 indigenes of the state to boost Community Policing.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Mike Okoli, revealed this during a one-day community policing sensitisation/awareness campaign held at the Dr. Gabriel Okara cultural centre in Yenagoa, noting that the recruited men were trained at the police training institute at Nonwa, Rivers state.
The CP noted that the concept of Community Policing was a brilliant idea of the current Inspector General of Police to bring policing to the people and to allow the people to participate in the policing of their communities.
He said the 106 trained special constabularies who are indigenes of Bayelsa state would be sent to their respective local government areas for effective community policing.
According to Okoli, the function of the constabularies was to relate with the locals and report back to their respective Area Commands.
He said the men were carefully selected from different vigilante groups with community policing experience.
“The emphasis was on those in the vigilante services who have been working with the police who already have the policing experience. As time goes on, more people will be recruited on a volunteer basis,” he added.
Delivering a lecture on community policing, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sotonye Wakama, said community policing had three components which include partnership, problem-solving, and organizational transformation.
“In partnership, I mean collaboration with all the units in the community to know their needs. Problem-solving is simply thinking outside the box. There are ways you can resolve issues without creating more problems for yourself.
“Organisational transformation simply means that every single person in the police force must imbibe the ethos of community policing and practice it wherever they are,” he said.
On his part, the governor of Bayelsa state, Senator Douye Diri, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Konbowei Benson, noted that the state government had always taken it as a point of duty to support the police in their act of providing adequate security for all Bayelsans.
He added that the present administration would stop at nothing in ensuring that all necessary support is given to the police and other security agencies in the state to ease their operations.
The governor further gave two-way advice to both the police and members of the public to be friendly to each other.
While urging the Nigerian Police to be civil in the discharge of their duties, the governor admonished those being secured to show maximum respect and cooperation to ensure smooth partnership.
