Former Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba said on Sunday that for Nigeria to drastically reduce crime and terrorist activities, she urgently needed to encourage more community policing.

Abba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that it was imperative for the Nigerian Police to engage more with communities and stakeholders in crime prevention and management.

According to him, Nigeria does not need foreign intervention to be able to reduce crime in her communities, but to promote more community policing.

“The greatest collaboration that the Nigerian Police should look for is collaboration with stakeholders in crime prevention and management, as well as fighting against terrorism and violence in our communities.

“This is where community policing become very important. Let the Society accept you and know that you can protect them, as you also get them involved.

“There is nothing wrong in the society telling the Police that we want you to patrol this area, guard and protect us this way,” he said.

Abba also stressed the need for a long-lasting trust between the police and the society, adding that the police must always see themselves as part of the society.

The former IGP said that because of the obvious loss of values in different communities, it was important for the Police to work closely with communities to be result-oriented in their responsibilities.

“There should be trust between the Police and the society. And once there is that trust, and we work together with the society, we can jointly achieve our common goals.

“The issue of attitude is a common problem in the society generally. There is no doubt that we are losing our values, and the police is part of the society.

“We cannot and should not run away from the society,” he said.

Abba, who said that the country currently needed to recruit more policemen and women, also urged the government to provide the police with modern crime prevention equipment, as well as enhance their working conditions.

Suleiman Abba was appointed as the 17th Inspector-General of Police on Aug. 1, 2014.

He retired from service, after 31 years, in April 2015.

Born on March 22, 1959 in Gwaram, Jigawa State, Abba was educated at the University of Jos, the University of Abuja and the London School of Economics. (NAN)

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