The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, on Monday said the activities of Badoo cult, as well as militancy, especially along the riverine communities, have been reduced in the state.
The commissioner stated this at the Lagos State Security Summit on Victoria Island, adding that as a result of the assistance rendered to security forces by the government through consistent donation and funding of security equipment, crime rate was in the decline in the state.
Edgal, who gave the crime statistics in the state, said from 2014 till date, a total of 1,315 armed robbery attacks, 359 cult-related cases and 392 kidnapping cases were recorded, with several arrests made while prosecutions were ongoing.
He said the community policing and safety partnership he put in place upon assumption of office as CP had helped in putting a stop to activities of dreaded groups such as Badoo, adding that from January till date, no attack had been recorded from the cult.
He said, “Policing is about strategy and technology, but there are other factors that come to play such as logistics. When there is a clear-cut strategy backed with the right technology, then the war against crime would be won.”
Edgal called for increased manpower and a system to stop the practice whereby people spread fear through the social media.
He called for legislation to compel all businesses to install CCTV cameras on their premises.
On his part, the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, advocated the concept of collective vigilance whereby all stakeholders in security management would have properly defined roles and relationships to stay ahead of violent crimes.
He said, “There is a need to examine the concept of collective vigilance in a megacity security system in which all stakeholders have properly defined roles and relationships from the primary levels of community security initiatives to tertiary levels in the state.
“This has become necessary because of the continuous influx of foreigners and people from other parts of the country into Lagos State on a daily basis. This has increased our vulnerabilities to threats of terrorism, transnational organised crimes, cyber and violent crimes of wider security dimensions,” the governor said.
Ambode, who was represented by Chairman of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Mr. Oye Hassan-Odukale, said his administration had been consistently implementing its cardinal programmes built on the tripod of security, infrastructural development and poverty alleviation, adding that the policy had been yielding positive fruits.
While describing the theme of the summit, ‘Securing Lagos State: Towards a Sustainable Framework for Modern Mega City,’ as apt, the governor said it was specifically designed to chart a course to improve on the existing security in Lagos and give a clear direction to the expansion of security architecture to deal with security challenges of the future.
The governor, who also called for consideration of private security sector into the mainstream security architecture of the state, said his expectation at the summit was actionable outcomes that could be implemented to make the state safer.
source: http://punchng.com/weve-reduced-crime-in-lagos-says-cp/
