Police Commissioner expresses worry over surge in murder cases in Akwa Ibom

By SUNDAY BASSEY

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in Akwa Ibom, Imohimi Edgal, has expressed worries over the surge in murder cases in the state, saying that some of them were committed over flimsy excuses.

Edgal stated this while inaugurating two committees on Thursday in Villa Marina in Eket Local Government area of the state.

The police commissioner stated that he had, during the ongoing lockdown, received reports of many murder cases, some of which, he said, bordered on flimsy reasons, such as stealing of palm fruits and others.

“If the police community policing had been in place, the crime rate would have been reduced,” Edgal said.

Edgal called on members of the two committees to work hard to nip such incidences in the bud, saying that they would not have arisen if the community policing strategy had been in place before now.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committees inaugurated were the Eket Area Command Community Committee and the Eket Local Government Community Policing Advisory Committee.

He urged the committees to work out a template for the police community strategy to take root in the council.

NAN reports that members of the Eket Area Command Community Committee included the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and representatives of other sister security agencies.

The Eket Local Government Community Policing Advisory Committee was made of the Chairman of Eket local council, the paramount ruler and stakeholders in the area.

“I charge you all to work out a template to ensure that the community policing philosophy takes root in the local government area as soon as possible,” he said.

While inaugurating the council’s Community Policing Advisory Committee, Edgal said he had come to realize, through his exposure to training, both locally and internationally, that community policing was the best option in any state.

According to him, the police community strategies will bring about the needed peace to the council, as it was about collaborations, agreements and partnership with community members.

The police commissioner said that the aim of the committees was to ensure effective community policing towards a peaceful and crime-free society.

Mr Frank Archibong, the Chairman of Eket Local Government council, commended the security innovations of the police chief in the state.

He called on Edgal to relocate one the divisions in Eket town, because of its proximity to the other.

Archibong, who also called for deployment of police manpower to the council, expressed concern over the frequent changes of DPOs, saying, “as they are about settling down, they are transferred.” (NAN)