How We Use Local Chiefs To Smoke Out kidnappers, Robbers
The Commissioner of Police in-charge of Ondo State, Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison, seems to be giving her male colleagues in the force a big challenge. Her activities have proved she is equal to the task of policing any part of this country.
She has traversed many states in the country including Rivers, Edo, Bayelsa and Lagos, where she headed the Ports Authority Police before being posted to Ondo. She bares her mind to our Crime Editor, Emma Nnadozie. Excerpts: Initial challenges I assumed office as Commissioner of Police, Ondo State on March 14, 2016. Immediately after taking over, I did an assessment of the Command’s state of preparedness to tackle crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery and secret cult activities, particularly among students of tertiary institutions in the state. This was with a view to setting my priorities. I discovered I had a huge challenge as there were limited patrol vehicles, inadequate personnel and low morale, amongst others. However, I had to start from somewhere, and so far, we thank God.
Surmounting the challenges We have been able to surmount the challenges through efficient coordination and mobilisation of manpower as well as materials in the Command. Considerable support from the state government and the Force Headquarters, particularly logistic support in terms of donation and release of operational vehicles have aided very tremendously our patrol efforts in crime prevention. Predominant crimes and how they are tackled As I said earlier, kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism are about the crimes of concern to the Command, but, as I also said, the Command has been tackling them with considerable success recorded, owing to the concrete measures, including robust vehicular patrol and the oiling of the Command’s intelligence machinery, that we took. People’s response to crime fighting efforts The good people of Ondo State have been quite responsive and cooperative in the fight against crime and criminality in the state. Traditional rulers and various other stakeholders, including paramount/ community chiefs, vigilante groups, transport unions, hunters and some very patriotic individuals, have been assisting the Command with credible information and ideas that have contributed to the modest successes recorded. Magic wand There is, indeed, no magic. It’s God that gives wisdom and knowledge for doing things. There has been nothing extra-ordinary, but we studied our environment and its peculiarity, and designed crime prevention and detection approaches, using available manpower optimally. In security matters, there is no quick fix. Leadership is provided and proactive steps taken and, of course, the result is positive. That is what you are seeing. Coping with politicians and government in the state The duties of the police are clearly spelt out in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Section 4 of the Police Act Cap.P19 Laws of the Federation, 2004. Ours is to ensure that law and order is maintained. We relate with politicians purely along the lines of our statutory and professional duties. With regards to the government in the state, our relationship has been basically on the cardinal issue of security. Synergy with other security agencies in fighting crime Right from my assumption of duty in the state, I made it one of my first priorities to foster and promote a very healthy and robust inter- agency cooperation with all sister security agencies. And to actualise that, I embarked on courtesy visits to all the security agencies in the state without exception. I can tell you, without mincing words, that I enjoy very fantastic cooperation and synergy with them. Readiness to face crime challenges Like every other command in the country, lack of equipment and manpower has been our albatross in fighting crime and criminality. It is no secret that some criminals tend to wield more sophisticated weapons which make them a lot more daring in their acts. However, the Command, with the cooperation of the good people and government of Ondo has continued to haunt and smoke criminal elements away from the state. Checking excesses of policemen in the state To be honest, since my assumption of duty in the Command, there has not been any significant report of excesses on the part of my personnel. And, as a matter of fact, during my familiarisation tour of the Area Commands and Divisions in the Command, I warned that I have zero tolerance for corruption, overzealousness and act of incivility to members of the public. Therefore, I gave my GSM number across the state and went further to constitute the Provost Section of the Command i.e. the Disciplinary Arm, and appointed a seasoned senior officer as head to deal with all cases of misconduct and indiscipline against erring officers. In addition, I held lectures with members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) and solicited their cooperation in checking any acts of indiscipline by police officers. Their assistance in this regard has been quite commendable. Future challenges and legacy You are aware that Ondo State governorship election comes up on November 26. Strategic security decisions have been taken to ensure the election is conducted in a violence- free environment. And, as Chairman of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), I have drawn up the Command’s plan for the security of the state before, during and after the election. The personnel are being sensitised on their role. On the other hand, however, request has been made to the Force Headquarters for the posting of more personnel to the Command and the supply of necessary equipment for effective policing of the state. I would like to be remembered for being professional in the conduct of my policing duties.
