The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) has called for stronger collaboration between communities and the Nigeria Police Force, saying effective policing cannot be achieved without public trust, intelligence sharing and active community participation.
Chairman, PCRC Zone 2 Command, Samson Popoola, made the call on Saturday at the Patrons and Honorary Members’ Investiture and Award Ceremony of the committee, held at the Zone 2 Police Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos.
Popoola said emerging security challenges required a collective response from the police, communities, government and other stakeholders, stressing that security should not be seen as the exclusive responsibility of the police.
He urged stakeholders to strengthen police-community partnerships through sustained engagement, proactive crime prevention, youth empowerment and improved support for police welfare.
The event, themed “Police-Community Synergy for a Safer and More Secure Zone,” brought together senior police officers, PCRC leaders, newly inducted patrons and honorary members, as well as other stakeholders in community security.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2 Command, Olohundare Jimoh, described the PCRC as an important partner in the development of policing in Nigeria, expressing confidence that the organisation would remain central to the future of the force.
Represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Finance and Administration, Adamu Mohammed, Jimoh commended the PCRC for its sustained support and partnership with the police.
“Everywhere you go, there is PCRC. It is very important. We work together in partnership, we move together and we are growing together,” he said.
According to him, the PCRC had witnessed the evolution of the Nigeria Police Force from its early years to the present, adding that the organisation would continue to play a significant role in the future of policing.
“PCRC has seen the early police force and the present one, and I am sure the future police is with the PCRC,” he said.
The National Chairman of PCRC, Ibraheem Olaniyan, also appealed for continued public support for the police, describing the 42-year-old organisation as a platform established to strengthen relations between the police and communities.
Olaniyan said the committee’s contributions went beyond financial assistance, noting that members provided advice, encouragement, physical presence and other forms of support to the police.
He disclosed that the PCRC had introduced official digital identification cards and uniforms to strengthen its identity and operations nationwide.
The national chairman further urged the newly inducted patrons and honorary members to support initiatives aimed at protecting schools and preventing cultism and other forms of criminality among youths.
He encouraged PCRC members to return to schools as role models and mentors, saying their engagement with young people could help steer them away from cultism and other social vices.
Olaniyan described the appointment of Olatunji Disu as Inspector-General of Police as a source of pride to the PCRC, saying it reflected the longstanding relationship between the committee and the police.
Similarly, the Chairman of PCRC, Lagos State Command, Kehinde Showemimo, said supporting the police should not be limited to financial contributions.
He said PCRC members had continued to contribute through their time, advice, prayers, physical presence and encouragement, adding that the organisation’s 42-year partnership with the police remained focused on securing lives and property.
Meanwhile, one of the newly inducted patrons, Josiah Anyanele, Chairman and Managing Director of Abba Industries Ltd., pledged to support community policing through the establishment of a police post.
Anyanele said his factory was located in an area where the nearest police station was relatively far from the community, making a police post necessary to improve security and communication.
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He said the initiative would help curb criminal activities and bring policing closer to residents, assuring that he would contribute his quota towards strengthening community security.
The ceremony featured the investiture of new patrons and honorary members and the presentation of awards to individuals recognised for their contributions to community policing and security.
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