Kehinde Adeleye
The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Lagos State Command organised her 7th Biennial Week, which began with a youth conference and novelty match at the Nigeria Police Force Officers’ Mess, GRA, Ikeja.
The biennial conference, the seventh of its type is to help the security agencies and the youth establish a common ground for security discourse.
The meeting served as a wake-up call for both the security services and the youth. This is only one of many events planned to honour the association’s biennial celebration.
With the theme of the conference; ‘Youth In Crime: A Societal Burden’, the gathering was aimed at proffering a holistic approach to curbing crimes and criminality amongst the youth with respect to the activities of the security agencies particularly the Nigeria Police.
Alhaji Akeem Alao, the Youth Coordinator of PCRC Lagos, praised the distinguished guests who attended the events despite their hectic schedules, including the Commissioner of Police, Lagos PPRO, and Lagos Commissioner of Youth. He said that the conference is taking place in the midst of PCRC Lagos State Command’s many initiatives that offer answers to the societal problems that are now causing the country’s insecurity.
The introductory remarks were then made by Apostle Kehinde Showemimo, the Chairman of the PCRC Lagos Command. He talked more about the biennial week’s goal of bridging the divide between the Nigeria Police and the community at large in order to act as a catalyst for understanding and collaboration.
This year’s conference is poised at activating more cordial relationship between the police and the youth in a bid to nip in the bud the scourge of crimes and immorality.
This is imperative because of the endemic nature of crimes amongst the youth. He solicited for drastic measures in order to relieve the burden off the society.
Interestingly, the Commissioner of Police Lagos, CP Idowu Owohunwa, was ably represented by ACP Olanrewaju Ebenezer, who delivered his keynote speech. He canvassed for collaborative efforts between the stakeholders in the society on one hand and the security agencies, on the other hand, towards curbing crimes and setting the youth on productive endeavours. He hinted that security is everybody’s business. According to the popular maxim, ‘the youths are the future of tomorrow’, but the reverse is the case today as the youths need urgent rescue from imminent destruction, which await them in the future.
Meanwhile, the hallmark of the conference was the thought-provoking lecture delivered by the Commissioner for youth and social development in Lagos, Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende, who highlighted salient proactive measures that must be considered and imbibed so as to change the narratives. He harped on the need to birth some innovative and collaborative engagements between the security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police and the people in the community, in order to ameliorate the current security challenges. He said that the current administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is listening and ready for collaborative engagement in all ramifications. Crimes are gradually becoming overwhelming and unsurmountable burden due to the gross involvement of the youthful population. Therefore, curbing and fighting crimes should be a priority for any serious government. He, however, enumerated the following points:
1. Creating Community Policing Forum: This is a joint effort where the police would collaborate with the people in the local community to fetch first-hand information and fight criminality.
2. Launching of Community Awareness Forum: This is to create a platform where people in the community would have full information about their rights and the rule of law in conjunction with the security agencies.
3. Establishing Community Compliant Mechanism: This platform would guarantee the security of individuals who give valuable information on crimes and activities of the people of the underworld. And also security personnel who are culpable.
3. Creation of Youth Policy Advisory Board: This would enable the youth to have relevant policies that secure their legitimate rights and guarantee their freedom. Also, provide advisors to them on germane issues.
4.Creation of Statutory Community Collaborative Project: This is a project that would foster cordial relationships and mutual understanding between the police and the people, thereby making the society crime free.
Furthermore, the panel discussion was very engaging and interactive as issues relating to crimes and the youth were clinically disected.
The panellists were: Mr. Benjamin Hundeyin (PPRO Lagos Command), Mr. Abolurin Oluwaseun (NSCDC Lagos PRO), Mr. Abdullahi Musa (NDLEA Media & Publicity), and FRSC Public Relation Officer.
The conference was graciously attended by distinguished personalities, government functionaries, youth organisations, students of NIJ, secondary schools amongst others.
As part of events marking the biennial week of PCRC Lagos, there was a novelty match between the PCRC football team and the Police football team, which was played at the magnificent pitch of Police College in Ikeja GRA.
