The Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC), Alhaji Musiliu Smith, has urged police authorities to focus on intelligence-gathering and community policing ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He said that gathering intelligence and engaging in proper community policing could help the authorities in nipping in the bud, “latent crimes capable of rocking the boat of 2019”.
Smith, who was represented by retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Mr Waheed Kassim, disclosed this at the Nigeria Safety Award for Excellence (9jaSAFE) 2018 in Lagos on Friday, saying that prevention of crime was the best crime control approach.
The former Inspector General of Police, who is a member of the 9jaSAFE Governing Board, said that election was a social process for people to choose their leaders and should not be a platform to overheat the polity and commit crime.
“It is very unfortunate that election invokes crimes and absurdity in our society unlike in the advanced world where we copied the process of democratic government.
“It is therefore the responsibility of the police to come up with an administrative mechanism to quell the potential unwholesome behaviours in order for peace to reign in the land,” Smith said.
He advised the police not to be aloof or elusive to the society as, according to him, it is only when officers mingle with the people that they will get confidential information that will assist them in their task.
He called on the authorities of the force and the Federal Government to evolve a pragmatic training of officers and appropriate funding to make the premier security outfit ideal.
On his part, Chief Coordinator Officer of 9jaSAFE, Mr Femi Da-silva, said that the award, which was in its 4th edition, was created to recognise individuals and organisations for their strides in raising and promoting safety consciousness.
According to him, the concept of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) is necessary to maintain a safe and healthy workplace, home and public space.
He said that the award was instituted to raise awareness in Nigeria in order to bring the country at par with the global trend as it concerned HSE. (NAN)