Insecurity: Anambra CP Calls For Re-adoption Of Community Profiling

The new Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, has advised community leaders in the state to re-adopt the old traditional profiling of strangers who come into the community.

He gave the advice yesterday during his interactive session with community leaders and other

stakeholders in Anambra Central Senatorial District where he called for the stakeholders’ collaboration with his command to ensure proper security of lives and property in the state.

Emphasising that community leaders, especially traditional rulers and presidents -general critical stakeholders in the task of providing security in every community, the new Anambra state police boss, stated that in the olden days, any stranger who came into the community must be introduced to the traditional ruler, and, other leaders in the area.

He stated that the method made it near impossible for a crime to be committed in the community without the perpetrators being detected.

“I have come to Anambra State to do my job. And my job is to provide security to lives and property in the state.

“One cannot talk about security from the surface; it must start from the grassroots. So you cannot talk about the security in the grassroots without mentioning the Igwes (traditional rulers) and presidents-general of communities.

“In the olden days, any stranger who comes into the community is profiled to find out that he is not a criminal; if such a stranger came with any of the natives, such native is normally invited to come and confirm who the stranger is. So, I want us to go back to that olden days of profiling,” the CP advised.

He announced a dedicated telephone number and urged the community leaders and any person who has security information to send such intelligence information to the police command, pledging that such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality and safety of such informant guaranteed.

He also warned that the command under his watch would not condone extortion of citizens through any form by police personnel stating that bail in any police station is free.

“If extortion was happening in the state before, it must stop now. Bail is free in any police station. If any police officer wants to extort you send me a message. I will prosecute both the giver and receiver,” he warned.

He further advised the community leaders to take up the task of making sure that their youth enrolled in the police force, stating that community policing required that natives would be the one to operate under the arrangement warning that if strangers should be made to be posted in the communities under the programme, it might not yield the expected result.

Those in attendance at the interactive session at the Prof Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka included traditional rulers, presidents-general, women group and youth group leaders in the seven LGAs that made up the Anambra Central Senatorial District, which include Awka North, Awka South, Anaocha, Njikoka, Dunukofia, Idemili-North, Idemili-South.