By Banji Ayoola
Ondo State Police Commissioner, CP, Mr Undie Adie has directed all Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, in the state to ensure that no incident of violence or insecurity is recorded in their respective areas of jurisdiction during the forthcoming Yuletide celebrations.
The DPOs are to ensure adequate motorised visibility patrol statewide to ward off any manner of criminality.
Particularly, he directed them to take proper care of banks, public institutions and utilities, other public institutions and even people walking along the streets.
This security beef up was disclosed today by police spokesman in the state, Mr. Femi Joseph, a Superintendent of Police, SP, in an exclusive interview with The Radiance.
He said that for over three months, the police boss has been meeting regularly with his management team comprising senior officers, area commanders and DPOS to strategise and review the security situation in the state towards ensuring crime free Yuletide celebrations.
Joseph said: “For over three months now, my CP has been meeting the management team, the very senior officers within the state, the area commanders and the DPOs, where we strategise vis a vis the ways to deal with the issue of any insecurity that could arise these ember months.
And every week, we are reviewing the situation. And it has been so far so good. We are not unaware of the pockets of violence and insecurity across states that share boundaries with us. This is the more reason why we are really not standing aloof, not resting on our oars.
We have mapped out a lot of strategies to ensure that the good people of the state sleep with their two eyes closed, most especially this Yuletide. We want to make them to enjoy their Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The banking area is one of our focal points. We are trying everything within our power to ensure that there is no disruption of banking activities especially these ember months because we are quite aware that some daredevils, miscreants may want to take any slight advantage to cause insecurity within the state.
But we want to say without equivocation that we are on ground and we are ready for any eventuality should they arise.
So we enjoin the good people of the state to go about their normal businesses as we have done everything legitimately possible to ensure that this Yuletide and even beyond, our people enjoy their freedom, their right to security without any modicum of embarrassment.”
The police spokesman said: “Like I did mention, we meet every day. As a matter of fact, in another 48 hours, all the DPOs, senior officers would meet again in a strategic place with the CP where we would review our security situation and fine-tune where necessary.
The CP has directed all the DPOs to make sure that no threat of violence or insecurity is recorded in their areas of jurisdiction. They have been told to take proper care of the financial institutions in their areas talking about banks and other institutions talking about public utilities, talking about even ordinary people walking along the streets that there should be adequate motorized visibility patrol to ward off any manner of criminality.”
On crime situation report in the state, Joseph said: “We can say that when we compare the crime statistics in Ondo state with other states, we can say that we are far ahead of others talking about the reduction in crime rate.
This is not unconnected with the ingenuity and the level of security acumen that the CP is endowed with. And he is doing it with all the management team because he is a man that believes in two good heads are better than one.
So he interacts frequently with his officers and this has paid very well and that is why you can see for quite a while now, Ondo state has been very peaceful. We want to improve on it. We want to ensure that we continue to be rated higher among the states that are very peaceful in the country.”
He appealed for continuous support of the people of the state saying: “What we can tell our people is to continue to support us. All the successes that we have recorded are traceable to their support and adequate information which they have been volunteering to us.
We want them to keep it up because the business of security and crime prevention is for all and sundry.”
On challenges being faced in the discharge of their duties, Joseph said: “They are normal challenges. Nothing can be too much to deal with the issue of peace and security.
If I tell you, the entire budget of the country may not be even enough. We have challenges in the area of logistics. But it is not peculiar to us. That is not to say that we are overwhelmed. But we can always appeal to spirited individuals and government of the state to always assist the Nigerian police.
The Federal Government cannot do it alone. The Federal Government is trying; but you would also want to be on the same page with me if I say that there are so many ‘children’ that the Federal Government is dealing with, so many security agencies that the Federal Government would have to budget for.
The Federal Government is trying, but we could continue to Oliver Twist, and we also want to enjoin people both state and individuals that are well to do to ensure that they assist the Nigerian Police in prevention and detection of crime.”
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