Security experts say technology, intelligence-based policing and logistical supports are basic ingredients to reconfiguring the security architecture of the country.
This is as Edgal Imohimi, commissioner of police, Lagos State, is advocating for the enactment of a legislation to compel businesses around the country to install Close Circuit Television (CCT) cameras within their premises to facilitate crime detection.
The experts spoke at the first security summit held in Lagos, on Monday, while also pointing out the need for the involvement of traditional institutions and investment in the regular training of security personnel, to bring about efficiency.
Imohimi, who presented a paper at the summit, called for increased manpower and a system that discourages the practice whereby people spread fear and rumours through the social media.
“Policing like we all know is more about strategy and technology but there are other factors that come to play such as logistics and all that but when there is a clear-cut strategy backed with the right technology, then the war against crime would be won,” Imohinmi said.
The police chief, who, however, gave statistics showing there had been a decrease in crime rate in Lagos, said from 2014 till date, a total of 1,315 armed robbery attacks, 359 cult-related cases and 392 kidnapping cases were recorded, with several arrests made and prosecutions ongoing.
He said based on community-based policing and security partnership he put in place upon assumption of office in 2017, militants groups hitherto operating in the state had been degraded and incapacitated from carrying out attacks.
He also said the strategy had also helped in checking the activities of dreaded cult groups such as Badoo, with all their shrines demolished, while from January till date, no attack had been recorded from the militants.
“Based on the partnership with the community and other security outfits within our communities, we have been able to bring the activities of Badoo cult group to an end and also discovered suspected notorious shrines in Ikorodu and environs used for suspected ritual killings and other form of crimes. These shrines have all been demolished,” he said.
On his part, Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, advocated the concept of collective vigilance where all stakeholders in security management had properly defined roles and relationships to stay ahead of all form of violent crimes such as terrorism, cyber and transnational organised crimes.
He said the concept had become imperative in view of the vulnerability of the state to various security threats due to continuous influx of foreigners and people from other parts of the country on a daily basis.
According to Ambode, “There is a need to examine the concept of collective vigilance in a mega-city security system in which all stakeholders have properly defined roles and relationships from the primary levels of community security initiatives to tertiary levels in the state.
“This has become necessary because of the continuous influx of foreigners and people from other parts of the country, in their thousands, into Lagos State on daily basis. This has increased our vulnerabilities to threats of terrorism, transnational organised crimes, cyber and violent crimes of wider security dimensions,” he said.
Ambode, represented by Oye Hassan-Odukale, chairman, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), said since assuming office in 2015, his administration had consistently implemented programmes built on the tripod of security, infrastructural development and poverty alleviation through employment generation, adding that it was gratifying that the policy had been yielding positive fruits.
“Our human security focus has not only shaped our security architecture which is safety and civilian driven, from the primary to tertiary levels, but also guided our choice of infrastructural development projects and directly improves the life of Lagosians.”
