By Frank Oshanugor
In a rare collective display of support for the police leadership in Lagos State, traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, eminent professionals and other stakeholders on Friday openly commended the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olorundare Jimoh, for adopting people-friendly policing system in the State.
Speaking one after the other during a stakeholders’ conference in Lagos, as part of activities marking the Customer Service Week, religious and community leaders, traditional rulers, eminent personalities and others, individually spoke in glowing terms, commending CP Olurundare Jimoh for policing with human face in Lagos.
According to the Baale of Kirikiri and Apapa, Chief Babalola Asabi “security is every man’s job beginning with our homes.” He noted that since Jimoh’s assumption of office in Lagos as Commissioner of Police, criminality had drastically reduced and attributed it to Jimoh’s engagement of residents. He enjoined every resident in the state to imbibe the spirit of collaborating with the police to ensure that “an all time peace is maintained.”
Speaking in the same vein, the representatives of Hausa and Igbo communities in some parts of Lagos appreciated the police commissioner for bringing the leaders of the various communities together with a view to discussing the issue of security which is an embracing challenge in the country.
The Sarkin Hausa particularly noted how some past commissioners of police in the State had
organized interactive sessions with Lagos residents with a view to promoting community policing.
While commending CP Jimoh for recognizing the place of members of the public in fighting crime, the Chairman of the Lagos State Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Apostle Kehinde Sowemimo remarked that it was the commitment of the police in Lagos which had helped to minimize criminality in the state in recent time.
Earlier in his opening speech the police commissioner had taken time to appreciate Lagos residents and their leaders either as religious or traditional group, business or professional association for collaborating with the police in combating crime.
Explaining briefly the meaning of the universally accepted CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK, Jimoh said “it is a worldwide event that comes up in the first week of October every year. He further explained that the Inspector General of Police (on behalf of the Federal Government) had directed every state command of the police to engage community members, adding that “without the people in any community, there is nothing like the police.
In identifying who the Customers of the Nigeria Police Force are, in line with the ideals of Customer Service Week, the police Boss emphatically stated that customers of the police are members of the public since police cannot exist without the people.
“If we are celebrating the Customer Service Week, we need to emphasize that everybody in the society is a customer to the police. We are your servants,” he stated.
He emphasized that the essence of interacting with members of the public during the Customer Service Week was to interact practically and ascertain the needs of community members with a view to policing appropriately.
He went further to explain that Community Policing which is largely being promoted by the current leadership of the Police Force under IGP Kayode Egbetokun is “basically engaging people into policing priority.”
He emphasised the fact that police by its statutory function is more visible and closer to the people than other security agencies of the state hence police is more involved in matters relating to the populace.
No fewer than 150 Lagos stakeholders representing different groups in Lagos State attended the event which held at the Police Officers Wives Association (POWA) event hall, Oduduwa Ikeja, Lagos.
The Customer Service Week which is now a universal event started in 1987. It was not particularly founded by an individual but began out of consciousness and recognition of customers in any sphere. A high point of it came in 1992 when the United States of America Congress proclaimed Customer Service Week, a nationally recognized event which is celebrated. This year’s event with the theme MISSION POSSIBLE lasted from 6th to 10th October.
