By Brave Dickson
Ahead of the Christmas and New Year festivities, the people of Rivers State have been urged to take the lead in securing their lives, property and environments.
Speaking to our correspondent, a security expert and Deputy National Secretary, Police Community Relations Committee, Ambassador, Austin Young, gave an expository on how crime occurs also underscored the importance for community-led policing.
He said: “We are gradually transiting into the community policing era. So, there should be greater collaboration between the police and the community.
“Whether we like it or not, three things must be in place before a crime can occur. Firstly; there must be a motivated offender, secondly; there must be a vulnerable victim and thirdly; there must be a vulnerable location.
“And so crime occurs when a motivated offender finds a victim in a location that is not properly guarded.
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“And you don’t expect the police to be everywhere. So the community should be able to guard their environment while they expect assistance from the police.
“One basic thing in community policing is that it emphasizes the need for social control. So, the community has a greater role to play in the security of their own environment.
“People who are organizing occasion should take the security of those who are coming into their facilities into consideration.
“A day to the event, they should make sure there is a sweeping of that place. If possible they should place police bomb detectors and generally, everybody should be alert.
“You can not say because of incidents of violence, people should not go out to enjoy themselves. But those who are organizing events should rather be extra cautious.”
