FCT Minister Seeks Community Policing

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has emphasized the importance of organized community policing in FCT communities and Area Councils. During a visit by a delegation from the Council of Chiefs in Kwali Area Council, the Minister stated that with effective community policing, many of the security challenges faced in the FCT can be overcome.

Malam Bello highlighted that security is now a collective responsibility, and the traditional and political leaders within the Area Councils should collaborate with experts to establish community policing structures. These structures would not only address insecurity but also provide valuable intelligence to security agencies. The Minister acknowledged that previous attempts to implement community policing in the FCT were not successful, mainly due to communities relying solely on the FCT Administration to provide all necessary resources. He urged the local leadership to demonstrate greater commitment to ensuring the success of the program.

He stated, “The reality is that security now is everybody’s business. We have tried as much as possible to encourage community policing in the FCT, but we have not had success. The challenge we faced, especially with the community policing issue, is that many of the communities were just waiting for the Federal Government or maybe the State and in our own case, the FCT Administration to pay for everything.”

Malam Bello advised FCT communities and Area Council leaders to work with experts in their respective domains to identify capable individuals and encourage them to participate in the community policing process. He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the annual employment of 10,000 policemen, and those trained as community policing constabulary could potentially be absorbed into the main police force. He suggested that initially, communities could fund transportation, logistics, and training expenses, and eventually benefit from having capable individuals integrated into the police or military.

The Minister assured the support of the FCT Administration in ensuring the success of community policing and promised intervention in the provision of access roads and educational facilities in the community. The leader of the delegation, Sarkin Yakin Pai, Dr. Husseini Halilu Pai, expressed gratitude for the relationship between the FCT Administration and the Pai Community. He praised the Minister for his visit, demonstrating good leadership and care for the people. Dr. Pai pledged the community’s support for government initiatives aimed at curbing insecurity and requested continued infrastructure development in the community.