IGP Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector-General of Police, has said that the Nigeria Police in its bid to ensure community safety, will soon commence recruitment of not fewer than 20,000 officers across the 774 local government areas of the federation very soon.
He stated this on Thursday during a one-day working visit to Katsina State.
IGP Alkali also disclosed that recruitment for community policing will go on simultaneously though without salary payment for the who are expected to be citizens who are already gainfully employed but will be exposed to rigorous police duty training.
He made the disclosure while paying a courtesy call to Governor Aminu Bello Masari at the state government house on Thursday.
The IG further disclosed that from the support they are enjoying from the federal government, plans are underway to reinforce the command with what they need in terms of logistics and other equipment that are necessary to fight crime and criminality very soon.
While commending Governor Masari for the assistance and support given to the security agencies in the state, he, however, acknowledged that there is a need for improvement and assured him that they are going to work hard to see that the situation improves greatly.
“With the support, we are getting from the Federal Government, very soon we will reinforce the command with what they need in terms of logistics and other equipment necessary to fight crime and criminality.
“It is not just talk. It is practically in progress and we want to appeal to citizens that we are going to work hard to see that the citizens go about their lawful businesses
“I want to assure His Excellency (Governor Masari) that very soon, we are going to also start our recruitment process which has stopped for sometimes and we are ready to proceed with its friend, community policing, which we are going to do.
“We hope that the strength of the Nigerian Police will be enlarged and therefore we are also appealing to indigenes that we want to recruit from every local government.”
It is a directive from the President that we should recruit 10,000 for 2020 and 10,000 for 2021 and all the 774 LG will be represented and we are going to post back these policemen to their local government to come and fight crime.
“There’s no better person who knows the nook and cranny of an environment in a community than the person that lives in that community.
“There’s no better person that knows his neighbours, his relations, his friends in his community than a person who also lives in that community.
“While we are doing that, the door is opened for the recruitment of community policing officers even though it is not a paid employment.
“We are expecting able men and women who are willing to assist in crime control and prevention to come and work with us, assist us while they have their own gainfully employment.”
