From Ben Dunno, Warri
Determined to stem the tide of violent crime in Warri and its environs, the Warri Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has intensified its security surveillance in high crime flashpoints.
Warri Area Commander ACP Abubakar Argungu, who announced the latest strategy in a chat with newsmen in Warri, said the move was geared at ensuring that a ‘Permanent Pin-Down’ of all the identified crime spot with the view of making these areas unbearable for criminals.
He noted that besides the regular roadshow embarked upon by his men and officers of the Force to register their presence and manpower strength in the area, the ‘Permanent Pin-Down’ is designed to ensure total flushing of criminal elements within the black spots zone.
According to him, ‘we have once again re-doubled our capacity in combating crimes within my coverage area by identifying some notorious criminal hideout within Warri Warri metropolis and its environs, and we have decided to take the battle to the criminals in their base.
‘The areas we have mostly identified included; Airport road, Jakpa Road, NPA, Deco road, Iyara, Warri-Effurun-Sapele Road, Jeddo, Ubeji, Udu Road among other notorious places where cases of cultism, kidnapping and armed robbery had been on the increase.’
With the ‘Permanent Pin-Down’, criminals can be rest assured that would no longer be business as usual in these areas would be having men who are stationed on 24-hours surveillance and stop-and-search of suspected criminals.
‘The Command was energised to embark on this latest move following the motivation received from the recent visit of the Commissioner of Police (CP) Muhammed Ali to the Command and his commitment to the crime-fighting efforts of our men and officers”, he stated.
ACP Argungu urged the residents of the areas to feel free to partner with the police in its crime-fighting efforts by divulging useful information that could help in exposing criminals and strange movements in their areas.
Our correspondent’s visit to one of the ‘Permanent Pin Down’ spot along Udu road saw the Enerhen Enerhen Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Mukhtari Bello, moving building materials to the site where the makeshift base of the men on permanent duties would be erected.