The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr Olohundare Jimoh has explained that the concept of state police was being examined as part of broader national efforts to improve security governance, bring policing closer to communities and strengthen public participation in crime prevention.
According to him, the initiative is expected to enhance the capacity of law enforcement agencies to respond more effectively to emerging security threats across the country.
Jimoh said this while briefing newsmen on Thursday at the Police Officers’ Mess, Ikeja but he was emphatical that the establishment of state police will strengthen security operations in the country and complement the work of the Nigeria Police Force.
The commissioner said that if properly designed and implemented, state policing could provide significant benefits by deepening local knowledge of security dynamics and enabling quicker responses to crimes.
“By bringing law enforcement closer to the people, state policing will strengthen the relationship between officers and communities, improve intelligence gathering and encourage greater cooperation between citizens and the police,” he said.
Jimoh added that decentralising certain policing responsibilities would allow for more efficient deployment of security resources, enabling state governments and local authorities to address peculiar security challenges within their jurisdictions.
He also noted that the proposed state police structure could contribute to economic development by creating employment opportunities for thousands of young Nigerians while strengthening the country’s overall security capacity.
The commissioner, however, stressed that state police should not be seen as a replacement for the Nigeria Police Force but a complementary structure within a coordinated national security framework.
According to him, the federal police will continue to play its constitutional role as the primary national law enforcement institution, responsible for maintaining internal security.
The police boss explained that the introduction of state police would allow the federal police to concentrate more on complex and transnational crimes such as terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime and human trafficking.
“State police formations can provide more localised policing services focused on community safety, conflict prevention and early response to emerging security issues,” Jimoh said.
He assured officers and men of the Nigeria police force that the proposed reform would not threaten their jobs, noting that their role in the country’s security architecture remained indispensable.
Jimoh added that the collaborative arrangement between federal and state policing structures would ultimately strengthen crime prevention efforts and deliver more effective security outcomes for citizens.
