Lagos NIPR partners with NPF to tackle insecurity
By Ibidunni Banjoko
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos State Chapter, is set to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to tackle insecurity, which has become a big issue in the country.
This was revealed at the just concluded PR Clinic/Monthly meeting that held at the Eko FM Multipurpose Hall, Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos. The theme of the event is: “Stakeholder Relationship: Imperative for National Security”.
Decrying the poor relationship between members of the public and police officers, Abiodun Alabi, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, spoke extensively on the need for public support, noting that development and growth will be difficult to achieve in the absence of security.
“The Nigeria Police Force needs everyone’s support to have an adequate, secure and peaceful environment as the country cannot progress or co-exist without the police. National security is very important to us as it relates to survival, growth and development. If security is not properly regulated, development and growth will not strive.
“The public needs to have a good relationship with the police because police play an important role in ensuring that adequate security circulates for all of us to have a conducive environment and go about our businesses without any molestation, harassment and fear,” he said.
The commissioner also stated that the police have always been seen as a coercive or oppressive agency, while noting that there is a long-time disdain and contentious belief against the police by members of the public.
“They see the police as an agency that is used to coerce or oppress people rather than to secure and make the environment peaceful which. The dysfunctional relationship between the members of the public and the police has impacted negatively to the performance of the police force.
“For the public to have confidence in police and gain their trust, we have started the concept of community policing. Community policing enables people to own the force and get involved in the activities of securing their environment. We are doing that by organising critical stakeholders meetings in our various constituencies – grassroots and command levels so that everyone can get involved in policing the environment,” he explained.
Commenting on the collaboration, Comfort Nwankwo, the Chairman of Lagos NIPR, said: “NIPR scan through the system, we look at areas where we can point our searchlight on and we have noticed that security issue is a big deal in our nation today. We thought we should bring in security personnel to shed more light on this so that we can know the way forward. We are really concerned about this.”
She continued: “He has shared light and as the relationship builder that we are, we will go through what he has told us, place it on a different platform and work on it to see the way forward, he has also spoken to the different stakeholders that is needed.”
Nwankwo added: “Crime should be minimal; though Lagos is more secure if we scan through what is happening in the nation, but we need more. That is why NIPR as a stakeholder has brought the security personnel so that our members can look into it and find ways of collaborating with police to come up with good ideas because crime is everyone’s business, we can’t leave it for the police alone.”
On her part, Nkechi Ali-Balogun, Principal Consultant at NECCI CONSULTING, said: “The most important thing that any Public Relations gathering does is to raise awareness, and I think the greatest thing we have achieved is awareness. For instance, we didn’t know that the police have been doing so much and also didn’t know their challenges. But we are going to our various destinations with a lot of information and we will carry the message to our people. So, I think the most impactful thing has happened today.”
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