By TINA TIMOTHY

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, has said that, in mitigating the security challenges presently facing the country, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) was working towards partnering with communities, using technology-driven policing and intelligence-based model.

The IGP, while delivering a keynote address at a 3-Day Security and Peace Summit held in Gombe State on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, themed: ‘Mitigating Contemporary Security Challenges for Sustainable Development in Gombe State,” said all stakeholders at the summit were expected to brainstorm and come up with strategies and measures to deal with the security situation facing the state and the country.

“This summit brings together respected royal fathers, community leaders, security agencies and all other strategic stakeholders and resource persons to brainstorm on measures and strategies required to combat contemporary security challenges affecting this great state and the country.

“The Gombe State Security and Peace Summit is coming at a crucial time when the Nigeria Police Force, under my leadership, is working towards deepening the engagement of the concept of Community Partnership, Technology-driven policing, and intelligence-based model in mitigating the current internal security challenges in the country. This policing strategy seeks to address security challenges through an active citizens’ engagement in the identification, analysis, and mitigation of threats and to actualise it, the communities and strategic stakeholders have critical roles to play.

“Against this backdrop, the Nigeria Police Force under my leadership, considers it imperative that community leaders, community-based associations, local community groups and all citizens are actively engaged towards feeling their pulse, evolving a common synergy and presenting a common front to contain security challenges that are threatening our communal peace, safety, and security,” the IGP said.

Continuing, Alkali expressed his full support to the Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, for convening the summit and implored resource persons and participants at the summit ‘to pay utmost attention to matters such as building trust between communities and the Police, the role of citizens in providing actionable criminal information, and strategies for strengthening partnerships among various security agencies and the communities we serve.’

He added: “Your Excellency, community engagements, like the Security and Peace Summit by the Gombe State Government falls perfectly within the framework of this policing vision. To this extent, the Nigeria Police Force conveys its full and wholehearted support to the Government of Gombe State, under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, for the vision in convening this strategic Summit.

“It is my expectation that during this 3-day Summit, all issues of security importance will be extensively discussed and effective strategies to address them identified. In exploring the various themes of the summit, I would like to call on the resource persons and participants to pay utmost attention to matters such as building trust between communities and the police, the role of citizens in providing actionable criminal information, and strategies for strengthening partnerships among various security agencies and the communities we serve.”

Alkali Baba further said that considering the dynamic nature of crime, Gombe State, though one of the states in Nigeria with the least incidences of violent crimes, has taken a pathway towards maintaining stable internal security. He therefore commended the governor for organising the summit and the upcoming launch of a Special State Security Operation and assets, expressing optimism that the outcome of the summit would be integrated into the overall policing strategy and become a model that could be implemented towards changing the peace and security narratives in Gombe State and the nation.

“Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, crime is dynamic and addressing it on a sustainable basis requires innovative approaches and the buy-in of all components of the society. Although Gombe State is one of the States in the Federation with the least incidences of violent crimes, the dynamic nature of crime makes it imperative that we continue to partner in evolving strategies that will constantly place us above the criminal elements. This is the only pathway towards maintaining the stable internal security order in Gombe State.

“In appreciating Your Excellency for the initiative of this Summit, therefore, I wish to encourage all stakeholders to build on the outcome of this engagement in the overriding security interest of the State. In line with this, it is my expectation we will be availed with the detailed outcome of this Summit for purpose of integrating them into our overall policing strategy as I have no doubt that they will be informed enough to complement our current strategies.

“On this note, I wish to sincerely appreciate the invaluable support of His Excellency to the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies over the years. This is further evidenced by Your Excellency’s initiative to organise this Summit as well as the upcoming launch of a Special State Security Operation and assets which I understand will hold shortly after this event.

“On this note, I convey my goodwill to Your Excellency and the participants at this well thought-out Gombe State Security and Peace Summit. I wish you a fruitful engagement and anticipate that the outcome of the Summit will be a model that could be implemented towards changing the peace and security narratives in Gombe State and the nation,” he added.