•The choice for robust partnership by POCACOV
The Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices(POCACOV) by the Nigeria Police Force under IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu is a community driven program involving different stakeholders otherwise referred to as POLICING ACTORS with a view to saving our children and youths from the claws of cultism and other vices and thereby improving Public Safety and Security. Stakeholders involvement and participation in this context has laid credence to the fact that Policing is everybody’s responsibility as it has been said that the act of becoming security conscious to aid in crime free environment lies solely on individuals and who are also referred to as stakeholders or policing actors. Policing Actors are referred to policing stakeholders whose actions and activities are geared towards improving Public Safety and Security in a giving environment. Various stakeholders as identified in the stakeholders mapping doubles as Policing Actors while the Police coordinates all Policing activities.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: This is the bringing up of various Policing actors (Stakeholders) together through a consolidated and invigorated platform and in a deliberate and predetermined manner to achieve the overall aim of improving Public Safety and Security. This process is one of the cardinal ingredients of the Community Oriented Policing. The Police and Policing Actors(Stakeholders) cannot work effectively to achieve public safety and security where there is no effective community engagement programme.Community engagement programme like the ongoing Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices(POCACOV) invigorates trust, confidence, respect, strenghtens accountability between the Police and Policing Actors(Stakeholders) in a giving community thereby creating platforms of Robust Partnership which is a panacea to improved Public Safety and Security.
STRENGHTENING POLICING ACCOUNTABILTY: This revolves around the effect of Community Engagement programme. This is because it will serve as a platform and create an avenue for the Policing Actors(Stakeholders) to understand the fact that the Police is theirs and must remain accountable to their owners. It will also serve as a platform and create an avenue for The Policing Actors(Stakeholders) to understand the fact as explained by Robert peel in 7th principles of modern policing which stated that Police, at all times should maintain a relationship with the Public(Stakeholders) that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence. This means that The Police cannot be separated from the Policing Actors(Stakeholders) but required that they must work harmoniously at all time towards improving Public Safety and Security.
THE EFFICACY OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: A well executed Community engagement program depends on well conducted Policing(Stakeholders) mapping which enables the understanding the crux of the matter in a giving environment. A well conducted Policing Actors(Stakeholders) mapping improves involvement and participation leading to problem solving. This is because you would have identified the problem in a giving area, analyse the situation and prioritizing it which enables proper community engagement and involvement to solve problems in a giving environment which are panaceas for improved public safety and security. This is because the first function of the police is to prevent crime and disorder. According to Robert Peel the Father of Modern Policing from Scotland Yard in his 1st principle, the basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder and in his 9th principle concluded by adding that the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of Police Action in dealing with it. This however means that the police must remain proactive at all time but to achieve this, we must call to mind community engagement which is one of the cardinal ingredients of the community oriented policing(C.O.P) which strenghtens accountability, trust, confidence, participation, robust partnership, local ownership and sustainability and improved service delivery in communities for improved public safety and security.
POCACOV PERSPECTIVES: This is a community driven and oriented programme of the Nigeria Police Force under IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu structured in line with the tenets of the community oriented policing and involving different stakeholders to combat cultism and other vices. It is a community policing and Public Relations Tools of the Nigeria Police Force and a new approach that involves advocacy, awareness creation/sensitization, reorientation and mentoring.
According to the Inspector General of Police IGP Mohammed Abubakar Adamu in the address he delivered during the POCACOV national launch in Abuja on 12th March, 2020, POCACOV initiative is informed by his firm conviction that evolving new initiatives that will address the root causes of crime is better option than concentrating on its manifestations hence the POCACOV initiative. He further maintained that POCACOV program is informed by the realization that there is a correlation between cultism and other violent crimes involving our youth population and also that deep-rooted and socially-driven crimes like cultism are best mitigated through a strategy that is premised on community policing practices which encourages building partnership towards addressing delinquencies that threaten our communal values and added that POCACOV Initiative represents a new approach by the Nigeria Police Force in combating Cultism and other vices as it is also a way of recognizing the fact that core law enforcement approach is no longer enough in combating these sets of crimes hence the need to work with different stakeholders as well as mobilize the people to aid in getting to the root of the crimes.
ROBUST PARTNERSHIP: This is one of the dividends of effective community engagement and mobilization and major tools involved in strategic communications(STRATCOMS) and that which is required in problem solving. Community partnership and engagement promotes negotiations, ventilation of vexing issues between the Policing Actors(Stakeholders) and the local police with a view to resolving them to enhance Police Public Partnership for improved public safety and security. It also help to strenghten police and stakeholders accountability to engender trust and confidence as well as support.
POCACOV TOOLS OF INTERVENTION/ENGAGEMENT: In order to get Policing Stakeholders involved in the ongoing POCACOV activities and to drive it down to the communities across the federation because the programme is all about you,we have the involvements of the faith-based organizations, community based groups and organizations, youth based organizations, ministries, department and agencies, media organizations, market organizations, sister security agencies, traditional rulers, government and non-governmental organizations, artisans, trade union groups, civil society groups, transport unions, student union and associations, political class, women organizations, Parents Teachers Associations amongst others.
We also have the existence of NYSC/POCACOV Community Development Service(NYSC/POCACOV CDS), POCACOV Ambassadors drawn amongst broad spectrum of reputable actors, actress, comedians, artiste, POCACOV police students relations fora.
There is also POCACOV Volunteer Clubs (PVCS) for safer school and community. POCACOV Community peace builders programme, POCACOV Fan Clubs for schools and communities, POCACOV Anti-vice sporting activities for youth value reorientation, engagement and strategic leadership direction, POCACOV School Chess Clubs.
POCACOV is reaching out also to policing actors (stakeholders) through grass root campaign mechanism of door-to-door campaign, town hall meetings, visit all schools to catch them young, visit all communities, state summits, the use of local, conventional and social media, Skit Production And POCACOV Comedy Series to pass the message. Visit all parks, visit all church and mosque, visit all markets. The use of campaign billboards strategically placed with appealing messages and feature article writing and graphic message designed to counter narratives amonst others.
The Choice Robust Partnership cannot be overemphasized as it engenders effective collaboration to solve problems, good planning, performance, team work and synergy leading to success and win win.
**CSP Ebere Amaraizu is the National Coordinator, Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices(POCACOV).
