Posted by By Samuel Oyadongha on
AGAINST the backdrop of Tuesday night violent clash between rival cult gangs in which one person lost his life, the Bayelsa State police command has drafted its men to strategic points for aggressive stop and search with a view to checking arms proliferation in the predominantly riverine state.
YENAGOA - AGAINST the backdrop of Tuesday night violent clash between rival cult gangs in which one person lost his life, the Bayelsa State police command has drafted its men to strategic points for aggressive stop and search with a view to checking arms proliferation in the predominantly riverine state.
The state police Commissioner Mr. Oliver Osuchukwu who disclosed this in an interview in Yenagoa said the stop and search was a proactive approach to deter criminal minded individuals from infiltrating the capital city.
According to him, several dangerous weapons which otherwise could have been used to inflict pains on innocent citizens have been recovered as a result of the stop and search introduced by the command.
Although he admitted that state has had its own share of crisis Mr. Osuchukwu however declared Bayelsa as the most peaceful state when compared to other states in the country.
Said he, 'Our strategy is to embark on aggressive stop and search at strategic points and this we are doing perfectly and that is why crime rate is not frequent here.
'We have been very alert to ensure peace continues to reign in Bayelsa but effective policing is a collective effort that needs the cooperation of members of the public."
Mr. Osuchukwu further explained that the stop and search strategy has yielded positive results as some Okada riders have been apprehended and prosecuted for possessing illegal fire arms.
He said, 'We have arrested several Okada riders and recovered both local and foreign made pistols from them and we are prosecuting them. This informed why policemen are stationed at strategic places to conduct stop and search on motorists and passersby to prevent a situation where criminals move freely with weapons with which they rob innocent and law abiding citizens."
On cultism, he assured that the command is doing everything possible to rid the state of the menace and solicited the assistance of the public if the war against cultism is to be won by providing the police with useful information that could lead to the arrest of suspected members.
The state police commissioner who reiterated the determination of his command to make the state a safe haven for all law abiding citizens used the opportunity to warn all undesirable elements to stay away from Bayelsa State in their own interest as the command is set to deal with all such elements.
He also warned that the command would not hesitate to sanction its men found to have erred in the course of discharging their duties.