ASHENEWS reports that the new Commissioner of Police in Kano state, CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel has assured citizens in the state that the adage, “Police is your friend” will come to be fully established as a statement of fact, not ridicule.
Gumel stated this at a press conference on Tuesday when he assumed duty at the helms of affairs of the Command.
According to him, this would be achieved through the continued display of a positive trajectory of building trust and confidence among the citizens.
“During my tenure as Commissioner of Police in this state, I will drive policing in the best way by deploying skills focusing on the art and implementing the core responsibility of providing security in the current democratic society by transcending the traditional roles to include meeting the expectations of the people of the state and working together towards ensuring the stability of democracy and shaping it in a way that is conducive to good governance and an enabler for societal wellbeing, economic and social development,” Gumel stated.
The CP stressed that ““the roles of the police are changing. It is no longer about the traditional way of arrests, investigation and prosecution of suspected criminals or offenders. Modern policing is tailored at gathering of evidence, intelligence-driven and the use of appropriate technology. I am giving you assurances, being a very active member of the intelligence community, where I served longer in various capacities, that it will be my priority to drive the state police command on the pathway of improving the deployment of intelligence assets for the gathering of reliable evidence and the application of the right technology in fighting all forms of criminal activities, forestalling disorder, supporting peaceful citizen-engagements and playing our constitutional roles in promoting the developmental programs of the society.
“Our immediate focus will be to harness the rich traditional and religious structures in the state to contribute to our agenda of ensuring security, stability, and peace in their communities. Let me emphasize that Community partnership will be at the core of our efforts, and I hereby invite all stakeholders to join hands with us for the good of all, and ultimately the peace of the State,” he further stated.
Gumel noted that the good people of Kano state are known for being politically aware and active, adding that “whatever the Nigeria Police Force does in this state will always be in the limelight and will attract public attention.
“This, instead of being a challenge is to me an asset in principle. Please take my words that under my watch, the police in the State shall welcome all constructive criticisms and will be ready to accept the responsibility of addressing all the real and emerging challenges and will be working together with the communities in providing the needed remedies to all the shortcomings that would keep coming.
“Also, note that our policing activities shall be collective-searching, as we shall continually be working together to aspire in keeping the State safe by working through the communities to surmount the emerging security challenges with full attention. On my part, I will be committed to addressing these issues with high standards of performance for which the Nigeria Police is nationally and internationally known,” the CP said.
Gumel charged the Police officers in the state to place a high priority on compassion and firmness in the course of discharging your duties to our communities.
“I have learned over the years that it is desirable for all police officers to always exhibit professionalism in the discharge of their duties. It makes the police institution more respected and their actions acceptable to the community. I, therefore, charge you to place a high priority on compassion and firmness in the course of discharging your duties to our communities. Our sole commitment is to create a safe and secure environment for all the residents and people of Kano State, irrespective of their ethnicities, beliefs, and political affiliations.
“The Police Force cannot address crime and the root causes of emerging crimes in isolation without the active support and collaboration of the people. Therefore, it is by continuing working with the communities that we can take preventive actions against occurrences of crimes such as armed robbery of all forms including mobile phones snatching, inter and intra-communal thuggery activities popularly known as “DABA”, illicit drug dealings, and all related criminal activities that keep threatening the safety and security of the people.
“Of worrisome is ‘’drug abuse practice’’ which has become the most common thing these days of which many youths are destroying and ruining their lives by getting addicted to drugs and putting their future in greater darkness. We shall join hands with relevant agencies and engage in sensitization programs and joint operations activities.
“I, therefore, call on my respected colleagues of both senior and junior cadre in the Police Force to remain resolute in the face of the daunting security challenges and to all stand tall during this challenging period of much expectation of service delivery and the struggles for surmounting all these forms of security challenges as soon as practicable, “Insha-Allah”.
“As your CP, I promise to engage in doing the necessary follow-ups with the police hierarchy to prove to you that your welfare is my priority and to ensure that I work assiduously towards providing you with the necessary equipment that will make the job much easier,” he assured.
Gumel commended IGP Usman Alkali Baba for finding him worthy to serve his fatherland.
“I salute the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc(+), NPM, NEAPS, fdc, CFR and the Nigeria Police Force Management Team, for recognizing my humble self for this assignment. It is indeed a demonstration of their confidence in me as well as their belief in my service track records and integrity. I strongly believe that this strategic appointment of heading the State Police Command is a challenge thrown at me by the police hierarchy for me to further prove my mettle. This challenge, I must admit, cannot be successful without working together with sister security agencies and the larger stakeholders of the society.”
Read Gumel’s full statement below:
Let me start by expressing my deep gratitude to Almighty Allah for giving me this opportunity of joining the architecture for maintaining law and order, peace, and security in Kano State. This is indeed one of the most significant assignment of my life in view of the importance of Kano being one of the most populous States and Centre of Commerce in Nigeria that connects both national and international markets.
For this, I salute the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba psc(+), NPM, NEAPS, fdc, CFR and the Nigeria Police Force Management Team, for recognizing my humble self for this assignment. It is indeed a demonstration of their confidence in me as well as their belief in my service track records and integrity. I strongly believe that this strategic appointment of heading the State Police Command is a challenge thrown at me by the police hierarchy for me to further prove my mettle. This challenge, I must admit, cannot be successful without working together with sister security agencies and the larger stakeholders of the society.
2. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, as you are all aware, modern policing is tailored to gathering evidence, intelligence-driven, and the use of appropriate technology. I am giving you assurances, being a very active member of the intelligence community, where I served longer in various capacities, that it will be my priority to drive the state police command on the pathway of improving the deployment of intelligence assets for the gathering of reliable evidence and the application of the right technology in fighting all forms of criminal activities, forestalling disorder, supporting peaceful citizen-engagements and playing our constitutional roles in promoting the developmental programs of the society. In this regard, our immediate focus will be to harness the rich traditional and religious structures in the state to contribute to our agenda of ensuring security, stability, and peace in their communities. Let me emphasize that Community partnership will be at the core of our efforts, and I hereby invite all stakeholders to join hands with us for the good of all, and ultimately the peace of the State.
3. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, you will all notice that the roles of the police are changing. It is no longer about the traditional way of arrests, investigation and prosecution of suspected criminals or offenders. During my tenure as Commissioner of Police in this state, I will drive policing in the best way by deploying skills focusing on the art and implementing the core responsibility of providing security in the current democratic society by transcending the traditional roles to include meeting the expectations of the people of the state and working together towards ensuring the stability of democracy and shaping it in a way that is conducive to good governance and an enabler for societal wellbeing, economic and social development. This was amply demonstrated by the constructive roles the police played in mediating the hot contests during the last elections in Kano state and other parts of Nigeria. Therefore, the principal task before this Police Command is to continue with this positive trajectory of building trust and confidence between the citizens and the Police, so that the adage “Police is your friend” will come to be fully established as a statement of fact, not ridicule.
4. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m being aware that the good people of Kano State are known for being politically aware and active. Therefore, it’s to my knowledge that whatever the Nigeria Police Force does in this state will always be in the limelight and will attract public attention. This instead of being a challenge, is to me an asset in principle. Please take my words that under my watch, the police in the State shall welcome all constructive criticisms and will be ready to accept the responsibility of addressing all the real and emerging challenges and will be working together with the communities in providing the needed remedies to all the shortcomings that would keep coming. Also, note that our policing activities shall be collective-searching, as we shall continually be working together to aspire in keeping the State safe by working through the communities to surmount the emerging security challenges with full attention. On my part, I will be committed to addressing these issues with high standards of performance for which the Nigeria Police is nationally and internationally known.
5. As for my fellow police officers, I have learned over the years that it is desirable for all police officers to always exhibit professionalism in the discharge of their duties. It makes the police institution more respected and their actions acceptable to the community. I, therefore, charge you to place a high priority on compassion and firmness in the course of discharging your duties to our communities. Our sole commitment is to create a safe and secure environment for all the residents and people of Kano State, irrespective of their ethnicities, beliefs, and political affiliations. The Police Force cannot address crime and the root causes of emerging crimes in isolation without the active support and collaboration of the people. Therefore, it is by continuing working with the communities that we can take preventive actions against occurrences of crimes such as armed robbery of all forms including mobile phones snatching, inter and intra-communal thuggery activities popularly known as “DABA”, illicit drug dealings and all related criminal activities that keep threatening the safety and security of the people. Of worrisome is ‘’drug abuse practice’’ which has become the most common thing these days of which many youths are destroying and ruining their lives by getting addicted to drugs and putting their future in greater darkness. We shall join hands with relevant agencies and engage in sensitization programs and joint operations activities.
6. I, therefore, call on my respected colleagues of both senior and junior cadre in the Police Force to remain resolute in the face of the daunting security challenges and to all stand tall during this challenging period of much expectation of service delivery and the struggles for surmounting all these forms of security challenges as soon as practicable, ‘’Insha-Allah’’. As your CP, I promise to engage in doing the necessary follow-ups with the police hierarchy to prove to you that your welfare is my priority and to ensure that I work assiduously towards providing you with the necessary equipment that will make the job much easier.
7. My dear respected colleagues, let us all remember that “poor planning produces poor performance”. In this regard, it is an obligation on all of us that we employ all available resources individually and collectively towards identifying the drivers of crime-escalation, understand the situation together and proffer solutions. Towards that, my tour of duty as Police Commissioner will surely put emphasis on providing excellent service to the people through careful planning, deployment of the right strategies, actions, monitoring and evaluation. While doing so, we shall be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria CFRN, the Police Acts and Regulations and other extant laws. Personally, I will take the queue from the agenda set by IGP Usman Alkali Baba, the Nigeria Police Force Management Team and other Police hierarchies to draw policies and road maps for replicating their implementation at the State Police Command level. In summary, let me also assure the people of the State that I will leverage the saying that “a bird cannot fly with one wing”. Therefore, I will keep prevailing on all the stakeholders in the state to build a stronger synergy with all conventional security agencies and to strongly collaborate with government, traditional and religious institutions, because there’s no standalone agency that can claim the monopoly of providing efficient security.
8. My vision is to lead the Police Command transparently and to build it on community partnership with robust intelligence gathering, the use of the right technology, and to run people-friendly police with respect to fundamental human rights and freedoms. These initiatives will therefore be geared toward accompanying both the Federal and State Governments to implement their development plans and sustainable programs. Therefore, the police in the state will perform their duties in the light of the following:
i. Community partnership towards managing the fragile security situation, especially eradication of political violence, communal violence, other clashes etc.
ii. Engaging in periodic review of the performance of available Police Assets deployed across the State.
iii. Use of technology for robust Patrol and Guards services and the promotion of Intelligence-led operational activities with effective utilization of supports from relevant platforms such as the C4i, Early Warning and Real-Time Emergency Response Mechanisms and other technical support platforms.
iv. Strengthening Policing initiatives such as the PCRC at Local Government Areas and State chapters, for identifying emerging security issues, aggregating abnormal behaviour among vulnerable groups: the youths, women, and children.
v. Leveraging on the existing Community policing programs.
vi. Conducting sensitization programs and activities, working with relevant stakeholders like NOA, the media, Youths and Women groups, as well as the State government. We shall also be promoting citizenship engagements through periodic Road Matches, Friendly Matches, and other Games for the promotion of active participation in all-inclusive social programs with the vulnerable groups.
vii. Supporting the State Security Council to develop Memorandum of Action (MOAs) for the implementation of collaborative initiatives with all the state security agencies and other relevant stakeholders in the State. Although the Police is the lead agency in internal security, it is wrong to claim its monopoly because, from all accounts, the Country at this moment is being under-policed. Therefore, honest collaboration amongst relevant security agencies, synergizing of efforts and cross fertilization of ideas is the best way to go towards surmounting the security challenges facing the state and the country at large.
9. Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, officers and men of the force, as the new security sheriff in the state, I hope that you will provide me with the needed supports that will make my tenure the beginning of another historic chapter. On this development, I implore you all to work with me, by putting all hands on deck with strength, determination, and unquenchable loyalty to take NPF to the highest peak, so that together we can preserve the lives and properties of all residents and ensure that the State is safe and conducive to everyone for growth and development.
10. On this note, I thank you for honouring our invitation, and your kind attention and wish you all a safe return to your respective destinations.
