By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Borno State Police Command has kicked off a week-long celebration of the maiden National Police Day with a series of activities aimed at strengthening police-community relations.
The event commenced with a Town Hall Meeting at the Ibrahim Taiwo Estate Zonal Area Command in Maiduguri, where the Borno State Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Yusuf Lawal, emphasized the importance of community engagement.
“This Town Hall meeting is part of the IGP Egbetokun vision of people-centric policing,” Lawal said. “We are here to freely interact and discuss what police are doing and where we went wrong, so that we will build on our successes and correct what we have not been doing well.”
Lawal directed all 30 Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to refer cases of rape to the State Ministry of Justice for investigation and prosecution. He also stressed the need for monthly engagements and Town Hall meetings between police officers and community members to ensure effective and people-centric policing.
The commissioner appreciated the State government and community stakeholders for their support, encouraging them to continue cooperating with the police to achieve its mandate of providing safety and security. He also recognized the role of the media in promoting police services and sustaining peace and harmony across the state.
The Police Command also promised to establish a cybercrime unit to monitor and tackle social media crimes.
The Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Alhaji Abatcha Nanabe, commended the police command for its resilience and dedication to serving the public.
He urged the police commissioner to continue with his good work with the support from Governor Babagana Zulum’s provision of operational vehicles as well as other logistics for the police command to carry out its operations across the state.
The NUJ State Chairman, Comrade Abdulkareem Haruna lauded the police command for its achievements on safety and protection of the people and their property while assuring continuous objective reportage of Police activities in th State by the media and thanked the PCRC members for their dedication.
