Insecurity: Community policing best – Osun speaker

From Fisayo Akinduro, Osogbo
|
In a bid to make Osun state crime-free, community policing has been adjudged to be the best and effective way of safeguarding lives and property.

The Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Timothy Owoeye made the assertion during a security summit held in Osogbo.

Owoeye noted that despite the few cases of kidnapping and banditry experienced in the state, the state still has one of the lowest crime rate in the country.

The Speaker, while commending the State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola for his proactiveness in addressing kidnapping in the state, stressed that the parliament under his watch has also initiated a bill titled “The State of Osun Kidnapping (Prohibition Bill), 2019, to tackle kidnapping in the state, which seeks to recommend life imprisonment for perpetrators of the dastardly act.

Owoeye,  acknowledged that the Nigeria Police Force is overwhelmed with the task of protecting the internal territories of the country, hence, the need for the people to come together and fashion out ways to protect themselves through community policing.

“While it is evident that our police force tasked with the duty of internally protecting the citizenry is overwhelmed, there is a need for us as people to come together and fashion out a way to protect ourselves”.

“World over, community policing is the best and most effective form of policing.”

He called on all security agencies to be faithful and diligent in their prosecution of kidnapping and banditry related cases, just as he tasked media and most importantly social media users to verify every negative report they receive before sharing it with a larger audience.

He also said social media could be a vital tool for the nation’s building if put into right usage and could be a nation’s albatross if used wrongly in disseminating fake news.