FCT police command moves to implement community policing

Community policing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) moved a major step forward with the submission of the modalities for implementation of the programme by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr Bala Ciroma during a security committee meeting over the weekend.

During the meeting, which was chaired by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, FCT police commissioner, Mr Bala Ciroma said, following the directives by the federal government for the engagement of Special Constabularies for community policing nationwide, the committee met and came up with modalities that will guide its implementation.

Chiroma hinted that, the main functions of the community constabularies will be crime detection and prevention, settlement of low level civil disputes and petty crimes, criminal intelligence gathering and dissemination to the local police commanders, dealing with minor offences and social vices, assist in traffic management and school safety duties amongst others.

According to him, the community constabularies are also to operate only within the communities in which they are recruited and are not permitted to operate outside of these locations, adding that the Police Force will train the volunteers and provide them with uniforms and means of identification.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello however called for a functional and equitable distribution of the volunteers across the FCT, based on the needs of the communities.

He also called for the active involvement of the Area Council Chairmen and Traditional rulers in the recruitment and deployment processes.

Meanwhile, the security committee also received a brief from the Health and Human Services Secretariat presented by the Director of Public Health, Dr Josephine Okechukwu, who disclosed that the major challenges facing the health authorities in the FCT are the issues of self-denial of the disease and lack of adherence to health protocols by many residents of the FCT.

She also said that there were imported cases into the FCT from other states as well as from returnees from outside of Nigeria. She also called for more active involvement of the Area Councils and traditional institutions in the fight against the virus.

Amongst other issues, the meeting also discussed matter relating to farmers/ herders clash which according to the security authorities has largely been resolved and steps being taken to tackle issues of banditry which are confined largely to the fringes along FCT borders with other states.

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