The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), South-West Chapter, has held a leadership training conference in Ondo State, aimed at strengthening collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force and host communities to enhance security across the region.
The conference, which attracted over 1,000 participants from the six South-West states, focused on leadership development, intelligence gathering, and community-driven approaches to crime prevention in the face of emerging security challenges.
Declaring the conference open, the National Chairman of the PCRC, Mogaji Olaniyan, stressed that effective policing thrives on trust, cooperation, and shared responsibility between the police and the public.
He described the PCRC as a critical bridge between law enforcement agencies and grassroots communities.
Olaniyan explained that the leadership training was designed to reposition PCRC executives to better support policing efforts in their respective states.
He emphasized that security is a collective responsibility and urged community leaders to provide timely and credible intelligence to security agencies to prevent crime before it escalates.
While passing a vote of confidence in the Inspector-General of Police, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 17, and the Commissioner of Police, Ondo State Command, Olaniyan also lauded Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, for his steadfast support for security agencies in the state.
Delivering a lecture at the conference, the Guest Speaker and National Vice-President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Yinka Folarin, spoke on the need to balance security enforcement with respect for human rights and the rule of law.
He noted that public trust can only be sustained when security operations are carried out with professionalism, accountability, and respect for citizens’ fundamental rights.
Folarin advocated improved budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Police Force and better remuneration for personnel to boost morale, professionalism, and a sense of pride in service delivery.
In his address, the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal, described the PCRC as an indispensable partner in policing, noting that the committee has consistently supported the command through public enlightenment and community engagement initiatives.
The Commissioner assured participants of the command’s readiness to deepen its relationship with communities, stressing that credible information from the public remains a powerful tool in combating crime.
Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 17, Ajani Omolabi, commended the South-West PCRC leadership for organizing the conference.
He reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to community policing, describing the PCRC as a strategic platform for building public confidence and promoting proactive policing.
Representing Governor Aiyedatiwa, the Senior Special Assistant on Security Matters, Charles Atiba, highlighted the Ondo State Government’s investments in security infrastructure and its support for collaborative policing initiatives.
He assured the PCRC of the government’s continued partnership in safeguarding lives and property across Ondo State and the South-West.
In their goodwill messages, representatives of sister agencies, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), reaffirmed their commitment to sustained inter-agency collaboration, noting that security is a shared mandate that thrives on synergy and intelligence sharing.
Stakeholders from various PCRC state chapters across the South-West also shared success stories in community policing, commending the Nigeria Police Force for embracing community-based policing, which they said has contributed to reduced crime rates and improved response times in several communities.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of awards of honour to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for his contributions to security development, as well as to other distinguished stakeholders for their support of community policing.
The conference concluded with a renewed commitment by participants to strengthen police-community relations, promote peace, and work collectively towards a safer and more secure South-West region.
