Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Adamu yesterday said the solution to insecurity in the country is to take policing back to the people at the grassroots level through community policing.
He charged state governments to take responsibility by ensuring that they tackle issues that lead to crime like unemployment, education or issues that require urgent interventions.
Adamu also urged chairmen of local government areas to take responsibility and not leave everything to the security agencies alone.
He spoke to journalists shortly after meeting with the Senate over insecurity, which lasted four hours.
Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, had summoned the IGP to brief the upper chamber on efforts to address escalating insecurity in the country.
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Lawan, who welcomed lawmakers back from a six-week recess, promised to vigorously pursue implementation of community policing, as a way of tackling the growing spate of killings and kidnappings across the country.
Adamu said, “We met today and I briefed them on community policing. Last year, we sensitised the whole country on the need for community policing.
“The concept is to give policing back to the communities and let them take the initiative in identifying the challenges that can lead to crimes and then we work with the communities to handle the crime.
“What we are saying essentially with is that fighting crime should not be left to the law enforcement agencies alone.”
He, therefore, enjoined state governments, governors and local government chairmen to take up the responsibility