The newly appointed Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom, Edgal Imohimi  has unfolded a new policing plan for the state.
Imohimi gave the hint while inaugurating a new Divisional Police Station in Ikot Udota village in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom at the weekend.
The commissioner also inaugurated a community vigilance group that would aid the Nigerian Police Force spread their security tentacles to the remotest areas in Eket.
Imohimi, who was on a familiarisation tour to Eket Senatorial District, added that the reasons for his visit was to introduce his policing plan to the people that would  curb criminal activities in the state.
He said that his policing plan was powered by the strategy and philosophy of community policing and community partnership, which he said was a guide to police as a process and not as a function.
“My policing plan is powered by the strategy and philosophy of community policing and community safety partnership, “ he said.
The commissioner described policing as a grassroot item that begins and ends with the people and it is the people that can best police the community hence, the need for  the police to  communicate and partner with the people to have first hand information on security challenges in the community.
“Policing is a grassroot item and it is the people that can do that effectively, so the police has to partner with the people to get it right, “ he added.
Imohimi said he was aware that each local government in the state was being greeted with different security challenges and since the police could not  be everywhere in the remote areas, there was  need to invoke the clause of partnership in community policing and community safety to ensure that policing was pushed to the remotest of the grassroots.
He said that the vigilance group would be at the direct supervision of the Divisional Police Officer and it would be their responsibility to go ahead of the police under strict supervision.
. of the police, gather information and form a part of police operations in the remote areas.
The commissioner said that in forming the vigilance group, the modalities must be based on what were obtainable under the laws of the federation, which meant that they must operate without firearms or any lethal weapon and must not establish any detention center in their area of jurisdiction.
“We want to establish in Akwa Ibom, the people’s police and not the state police, a police force that belongs to the people, that partners with the people to find solution to their policing challenges, “ imohimi said.
He urged the communities to setup a Community Development Association that would create the needed room for interaction between the people and the police.
Earlier in his remark, the Eket Local Government Chairman, Frank Archibong,  said the visit of the commissioner was timely, owing to the fact that Eket was one region that needed security attention in terms of population, crime rate after Uyo Local Government.
He said that from the antecedents of the commissioner of police in service, he would not have difficulty fighting crime in Akwa Ibom, having been a commissioner in a state like Lagos.
“Security is everyone’s business, so everyone must rise up in collaboration with the police to ensure that in his or her community lives and property are protected,” he said.
Archibong, who is also the ALGON Chairman in Akwa’Ibom , said that the coastal nature of Eket had subjected the people to some sort of disadvantages as the waterways now served as an alternate and ready escape routes to criminals.
Archibong, who presented security gadgets to the vigilance group, appealed to the youths to rise in unison to address the trend of criminality in the area.  (NAN)