The Nigeria Police Force, will embrace innovation and technology in the fight against crime in the country.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 8, Mr Babatunde Ishola, disclosed this in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, on Wednesday during his familiarisation tour of the state.
He said the world was evolving at an unprecedented pace, hence, the police must adapt to the evolving landscape of crime.
According to him, “Criminals today are more sophisticated, more organized and more ruthless than ever before.
“We will further leverage cutting-edge tools, data analytics and intelligence networks to stay one step ahead of those who seek to disrupt the peace.”
This, he explained, the police force will do through a robust and effective human and technical intelligence gathering process to enhance capacity.
“By harnessing the power of technology, we can make our streets safer, our investigations more efficient and our communities more resilient,” Ishola added.
The AIG further stated that the safety of schools and educational institutions is of key concern to the police force and it will continue to use all available human and material resources to mitigate the heightened danger students, staff and educational facilities, institutions were exposed to in recent times in the country.
To checkmate the abduction of students, the police boss, disclosed that a special squad christened the Schools Protection Squad (SPS), to serve as an intervention unit had been created to commence operation in every part of the country.
In her address, the state Commissioner of Police, Ebunoluwarotimi Adelesi, identified prevalent crimes in the state to include, cultism, kidnapping, boundary disputes, communal conflicts, farmer-herder conflicts, and other common societal cases.
She said the Kwara State police command, had confronted the menaces of cultism and kidnappings with uncommon vigour.
“The support of the people and the determination of my men, have made taming these monsters less difficult to tackle.
“AIG sir, I want to inform you that the task of maintaining and sustaining peace and security in the state is so daunting, but the support of the traditional institutions in the state, under the chairmanship of the Emir of Ilorin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, and other traditional rulers, has helped in making our task easy.
The CP, who commended Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for his support, said, “I can’t but also mention that the synergy among security services in the state, is top-notch, when it comes to issues of collaboration to deal with security issues.”