Commissioner of Police, Mobile Police Force, Abuja, Mr. Lawan Jimeta, says the launch of Operation Puff Adder by Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has put criminals terrorising motorists on the Kaduna/Abuja Expressway in big trouble: “Operation Puff Adder has done excellent job. It has given members of the public confidence.
“Operation Puff Adder raided all the hideouts of bandits and kidnappers on the highway. I have sent a strong signal to the entire command not to relent in their efforts to fight bandits in all the states. They are applying professionalism and community policing. This will help to have good relationship with the public. It will enable them to work together within the state.
“That Puff Adder launched by IGP Mohammed Adamu is a place of peace and security in the socio-political development of any nation cannot be overemphasised. The force in providing enabling environment for peace to sustain our nascent democracy. The challenges of prevailing heinous crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping, burglary, cattle rustling and armed banditry stare us in the force.
“The Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu is to ensure that crime and criminalities are curtailed throughout the country within the shortest possible time. The operatives of the special outfit should be diligent.
“They should carry out the assigned duty with integrity having respect for the fundamental human rights of the citizens they were meant to serve. The officers must imbibe the core values of discipline, diligence, valour and ethical conduct while investigating. They must always be conversant with legal issues and evidential requirement necessary for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution.
“The IGP vision and mission is that officers should to align with rest solely on the tripod of problem solving, community partnership and organizational transformation which are essentials of community policing. Community policing is part of the policy thrust of the administration of the IGP.
“We must collectively imbibe and encourage practice of community policing as a tool for effective quality service delivery. These included intelligence gathering, inter agency collaboration and public partnership. Officers and men must therefore acquaint themselves with the general environment where they are deployed to serve. These include the topography, culture and values of such communities.
“Police officers must strive vigorously to carry out their constitutional duties as contained in Section 4 of the Police Act. They should bear in mind principles and values of community policing. They must intensify stop-and-search, aggressive vehicular patrol and use of technical platform to address heinous crime such as armed robbery, murder, cattle rustling, rape, burglary, so that we can keep the society more secure.
“We cannot afford to disregard or distance ourselves from all the strategic stakeholders. Also, the adoption of the community policing will encourage proactivity and preventive policing rather than the traditional reactive policing.”