As part of measures to ensure a hitch-free Christmas and New Year in Rivers State, the Rivers State Police Command says it has banned the use of fireworks and knockouts before, during and after the two popular celebrations.
This is as the Police Command said it had increased patrol on the waterways and flash-points, including the Port Harcourt-Owerri routes and Elele-Omerelu in order to forestall possible security breaches within the period.
The Command in a statements by the State Police Commissioner, Mustapha Dan-Daura said fireworks and explosives were harmful and capable of causing unnecessary panic and tension in the State and warned retailers to stop the sale of fireworks and knockouts.
The Commissioner further said any person or group of persons found disobeying the order will be arrested and prosecuted, just as he appealed to parents and guardians to restrain their children from going against the order.
Similarly, spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni has assured residents and business owners of adequate security during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“Patrols around vulnerable places and key points, religious centres, fun centres and other public places where people gather shall be stepped up. We have assured that our patrol vehicles are in such places.
“The idea is to ensure that there won’t be any form of security breaches because we do know that this is a period where armed robbers, criminals would want to work round the clock to be able to gather something to celebrate the Christmas. So, they have known that we are ahead of them.”
Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) also said security personnel would carry out regular patrols at flashpoints on the Port Harcourt-Owerri Expressway and the Ogoni axis of the East-West Road.
“The Elele-Omerelu Road, we have our deployments there. The Ogoni-Akwa Ibom axis too we also have our deployments. Even in the city too we have visibility policing. We have our patrol vehicles stationed at strategic points in the city.
“These are deployments made to ensure that we keep the criminals at arm’s length,” the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) stated, adding that the waterways will also be adequately policed during the yuletide.
“On the coastal and waterways, we are doing our best. We have not been able to achieve zero criminality on the waterways. Given what we have in terms of logistics, we have about five ballistic boats.
“It means that in no time we are going to increase our fleets because the government has made a promise to increase our fleets by even five serviceable gunboats.
“With that, I think the sky will be our limit. It will increase our efficiency and our presence all over the waterways and these cases of attacks on the waterways will be reduced to the barest minimum,” he assured.