Lagos neighbourhood agency ready for state police- Lawmaker

Mr Steven Ogundipe, Chairman, Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA), has said that Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSA) was ready for state police.

Ogundipe made the remark on Friday during a media interactive session on “The role of Technology in Community Policing: Creating New Perspectives,” at Bolade Oshodi.

He noted that the state government’s investment in the agency showed that it was being steered on the path of becoming a state police outfit.

He said that the establishment of state police had been a priority of the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, driven by his commitment to enhancing security.

“The Speaker is passionate about security and LAHA has been clamoring for state police because we have zero tolerance for crime.

“This is why we are preparing ahead for when approval will be granted for state police.

“We need to start speaking with one voice; this is the right time that the issue of state police come in place because Nigeria Police cannot do it alone.

“The corps officers of the LNSA are going to be the drivers of this state police in Lagos because they understand the people and are closer to them,” he said.

He commended Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for working to ensure that all South-West governors were in line with the creation of state police to ensure adequate security for all.

He also commended the management of LNSA for its innovative approach and incorporating technology to enhance the operations of the officers.

The lawmaker urged residents to always blow the whistle whenever they see anything unusual, saying “see something, say something.”

Dr Ifalade Oyekan, General Manager, LNSA said that with new technologies adopted in its operations, the agency was positioned to effectively take on the task of community and state policing.

Reeling out some of the achievements of the agency, Oyekan said that the agency, with the support of the state government had deployed modern tools, vehicles, bicycles, scooters to divisional offices to boost operations.

Some of the tools include surveillance drones, body-worn cameras, safety shields, dashboard cameras, stun batons, and binoculars among others.

“Our corps officers don’t carry firearms because of the law that established the agency, but we still need to carry out our mandate of protecting the people.

“That is why we have been using technology to drive our operations. With our drones, body-worn camers, binoculars, bicycles, scooters and other tools, we are able to go into the nooks and crannies of the communities.

“This is as a result of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s  investment and commitment to security,” he said.

He said that the agency had also set up a situation room and software to monitor officers  in real-time to improve transparency, accountability and efficiency.

He added that the agency had expanded its operations with the creation of Anti- Human Trafficking, Forest Rangers, Marine Patrol and Deterrence, Anti-riot and Crowd Management units, among others.

The general manager charged the officers to take their duties seriously saying “to whom much is given, much is expected.”

“The bad eggs amongst us need to step up especially with the technology we have incorporated to monitor the officers.

“If you’re asking for salary increment, you must be at your duty post,” he said.

LNSA was established in 2016 by a law of the Lagos State House of Assembly to partner with the community, police and other relevant security agencies in gathering, collating, and sharing information and intelligence for ensuring safety in the communities.

The Corps is operational in all 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the state.