Police seek support for effective community policing in Zamfara

The Police Command in Zamfara has appealed for support from communities in the state towards promoting effective Police/Community Relations.

The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Yazid Abubakar, made the call on Monday in Maru and Kaura-Namoda towns at the Town Hall meetings to sensitise stakeholders to effective police/community relations.

Recall that the town hall meetings were organised by a CSO, Voluntary Aid Initiative (VAI), in collaboration with the Police Community Public Relations Committee (PCRC).

The VAI, with support from an NGO, International Alert, had been working to promote police/community relations in the state under the Police Force Reform Initiative III Project.

The meetings had participants including traditional and community leaders, police officers, youths and women groups, faith actors and representatives from CSOs.

The PPRO assured of the command’s readiness to collaborate with initiatives towards achieving the objectives of Police Force Reform Initiative III Project.

“Community members have greater roles to play to promoting police/communities relationship.

“Members of the general public have to continue to cooperate with police and always support them with intelligence gathering with a view to addressing security challenges affecting communities,”he said.

Abubakar commended the public in the state for their support and understanding to the command’s activities and programmes to ensure sustainable peace in Zamfara.

In his remarks at the meetings, the Executive Director of VAI, Amb. Musa Umar-Aboki, said the meetings were aimed at strengthening the relationship between police and communities.

Umar-Aboki stated that the NPF reform initiative project aimed to enhance community policing through the active involvement of the community members in the process for proactive efforts, collaboration and public awareness campaigns.

He added that the project would bridge the communication gap between the police and community, build trust between police and communities, to educate communities on their roles towards promoting peace and encourage their involvement in community policing.

Umar-Aboki said that the project also aimed to transform the NPF into an accountable, people-oriented, service-driven, and trusted law enforcement agency that operate according to international best practices.

Earlier, the VAI Project Officer, Mr Hussaini Hassan, said the town hall meetings were aimed at achieving effective community policing.

“Stakeholders’ engagement is one of the keys to sensitising communities.

“This is to interact with stakeholders and and sensitise community members on how to collaborate with police towards achieving effective police- community,relations,” he said.

Hassan urged the participants to participate actively in order to acquire the needed knowledge and skills of the training.

At the end of the meetings, the stakeholders pledged to support the project by cascading the sensitisation messages to the members of the public, “the statement said.

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