There is no doubt that the development of any society is largely hinged on the extent of the security of lives and properties of its citizens.While a thoroughly secured atmosphere breeds intellectual minds who are great assets to the nation building, it also allows an enduring environment for the growth of infrastructural development. Nigerian security system as it is presently cannot but be porous giving its state. Security agencies in any advanced world are not run the way we run ours. One thing that is crystal clear is that many a crime are not committed in isolation, therefore, fighting them can never be done independently without co-opting the citizens too. Most crime gangs operate in a network- like pattern. And to track them also, a kind of web-like solution that involves the people in the vicinity has to be applied. What baffles one a lot is that the criminals that commit series of offences on the land reside in the midst of the people, how come it then becomes difficult or even practically impossible to track them down' This means something fundamental is amiss. One of the missing links is that the internal security agencies in the country especially the police, lack the professionalism that the agency requires. How' Any security agency that must operate successfully must be friendly with the citizens. This philosophy, if it exists at all in the Nigerian police only applies in theory and not in practical. The police is so hated that the entire populace regards it as devil that they don't want to have any business with. Not even to testify. Why' If you give them information or volunteer to give them clues to unravel a crime, your confidentiality is not guaranteed. If totally unlucky, the case may even turn against you. Tell me how will such an organization receive peoples' support in unmasking criminals' Besides, whether it is official or not, that is left for the top hierarchy of the police to answer, no security agency can be so enmeshed in taking bribe like twenty naira at the so-called road blocks and expect to succeed in preventing crimes. But it is quite unfortunate that any time this issue is raised, the police authority has one way or the other of denying it; yet it happens so brazenly on daily basis. Many of them, no matter high their salaries, they only see that as a bonus to the bribes they daily collect. The fundamental things in security are being compromised. The criminal-minded people have known our security agents for what they represent and so are ready to give those their dues to allow them carry out their nefarious activities. To worsen matters, many of the security agents are criminals in uniform. They make use of their weapons to perpetrate all sorts of evils. In fact, I will say instead of the common slogan that there are some bad eggs among them; we can conclude that many of them are rotten. And this is the more reason crime will occur in our communities undetected.Raheem Wasiu MayowaBale Agbe QuartersOje Owode.
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