The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, on Tuesday said the police would deploy 158 additional patrol vehicles to the highways following President Muhammadu Buhari‘s order to the military to dismantle check points nationwide.
Arase said this while fielding questions from newsmen shortly after declaring open a one-day stakeholders consultative meeting on “Improving Police Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Gender Mainstreaming’’ in Abuja.
He said the police were prepared to take over the points that would be vacated by the military following the order.
“But that does not mean that we are not still going to have some collaboration with the military.
“Constitutionally, they are supposed to assist whenever we have issues where we required their assistance; we still need to synergise with them,’’ he said.
Arase said the force would organise a forum where it would seek the assistance of “non-state actors in the provision of security for the citizenry.
“Police alone cannot provide security. No police in the world have complete dominance of the security space, security is everybody’s business,’’ he said.
He said the police had deployed 350 patrol vehicles to major highways under a scheme tagged “Safer Highway’’ to enhance security of travelers in places where such road blocks were earlier dismantled.
Arase said the police had concluded plans to set up a technical platform to deal with gender related violence, adding that the platform would be connected to some major hospitals across the country to enable victims promptly lodged complaint to the force.
The I-G also said the police should be able to respond promptly to the needs of the public they serve.
“Any police force in the world should be sensitive to the public that they serve.
“If we are not sensitive to the public, then, it means we are not carrying out our duties,’’ the I-G said.
In a message to the event, Mrs Esther Eghobamien-Mshellia, the Director, Women and Gender Affairs, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, said the police had crucial role to play in enforcing the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act.
“It is my conviction that intervention in the lives of women, girls and other disadvantaged groups in the country will not come to fruition unless the police play leading role,’’ she added. (NAN)