Rivers Police Seek Sister Agencies’ Synergy To Curb Pipeline Vandalism

The Rivers State Police Command says with synergy within sister agencies, the issues of pipeline vandalism would be reduced drastically in the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, made this known while delivering a paper during the tour by the Participants of Naval War College (WARFARE COURSE 4) to the command in Port Harcourt.
Mukan said that the relevance of inter-agency cooperation in crime fighting cannot be over emphases, adding that with collaboration, the fight against pipeline vandalism for all intents and purposes would be achieved.
The CP’s presentation was titled, “Curbing Pipeline Vandalism towards enhancing Socio-Economic Development in Rivers State”.
He said, “Honestly, there is no better time to highlight the benefits and relevance of inter-agency cooperation in crime fighting than now. The fight against pipeline vandalism, for all intents and purposes, can never be fought alone. There must be multi-level collaboration, if we must wedge a sustainable war against the enemies of our national economy”.
He said that the challenges faced by agencies to curb crime and criminality like corruption, logistics limitation and others, if addressed by the authorities, and with synergy within the sister agencies, crime would be reduced.
“Much as the agencies have resolved to cooperate and work together, their definitive roles as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Acts setting up the agencies sometimes allocate the same functions to more than one agency, thereby giving room for inter-agency rivalry.
“Corruption, this has become the biggest problem in the fight against pipeline vandalism. Operatives, sometimes, allow pecuniary consideration to override their official judgments. Heads of the various agencies must develop common grounds to deal with this cankerworm,” he said.
On training and retraining, Mukan said, “The training needs of all the agencies cannot be overemphasized. Joint training sessions should be encouraged. This will in no small measure minimize cases of inter-agency clash/conflict.
“This is to sharpen and re-position you ahead of the great task of dealing with those who are bent on sabotaging our national economy. Therefore, it has become increasingly important for you to inculcate the spirit of interagency tolerance and cooperation in the overall interest of the nation. Remember ‘No man is an island’ so also are our agencies. We have a lot to achieve together if the desired synergy is put in place”, he added.
Earlier, the Commander, Naval War College, Rear Admiral A. Oke Ayobanjo, said the police have been the right agency to partner with in the fight against pipeline vandalism, which he said, stands as the theme for the 2020 tour study course, designed for Rivers State.