Police boss admits rise in crime after 2019 elections

The acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, says criminal records point to a rise in crime following the conclusion of Nigeria’s general elections beginning with the presidential election in February 23^rd and ending with governorship elections on March 9, 2019.

IGP Adamu disclosed this on Thursday while meeting with strategic Police Managers at the Force Headquarters in Abuja to review the progress made by the recently launched Operation Puff Adder.

He said while some security experts have attributed the trend to the disengagement of the criminal elements from politically-related activities for which they might have been engaged during the elections, others have attributed the trend to socio-economic factors.

“What remains undebatable is the fact that the primary and statutory duty of the Nigeria Police as the lead agency in internal security framework, is the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of our internal security order.”

“This places on us the responsibility of assuring the citizens of their safety and security without any form of excuses. It also challenges us to rededicate ourselves to our statutory duties, constantly review our law enforcement strategies and re-order our policing priorities towards stemming the tide of crime. It is within this context that this meeting was summoned.

“In this regard, let me emphasize that as strategic police managers, your professional competence is measured by your capacity to dissect the trends and patterns of crimes within your Area of Jurisdiction, develop and modify crime management strategies and deploy your human and material assets towards achieving a stable security order.

IGP Adamu said while some of the officers have demonstrated a very high and commendable level of professional competence which has manifested in the moderation of crimes in their commands, the professional proficiency and sense of commitment to duty of some others are being called to question in the face of inappropriate response to threats of crimes in their jurisdictions.

He therefore charged the officers to renew their sense of commitment to duty and demonstrate requisite professional leadership needed to roll-back the current unacceptable trend of crimes in the various commands.

“Because as noted by Albert Einstein, you cannot be ‘doing the same thing over and over and expect different results’. The dynamics of crime should task you to evolve new thoughts and new approaches to crime management. Your ability to this is what defines you as a professional and an experienced police manager.”

According to him, the only the Police can stay ahead of criminals is to continually generate actionable criminal intelligence to support its anti-crime functions.