Effective security at the grassroots cannot be over-emphasised, and this is why the Lagos State Government has charged Neighbourhood Watch (NW) officers to brace up for the challenges of policing the grassroots and ensuring effective security.
To ensure NW officers perform their roles effectively, a three-day workshop for state officers and local government co-ordinators of NW was organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Rural Development at the Elephant House, Ikeja.
Commissioner for Rural Development, Prince Lanre Balogun, at the event described the issue of security as an important issue, which successive governments had continued to tackle.
“It is also important to note that no meaningful development can take place under anarchy and strife. This explains the commitment of enormous resources both human and material to fighting crime in the state.
“The various reforms in the security outfit in the last four years has brought about more tasks and challenges which continues to widen on daily basis. In the light of this, training and retraining of personnel involved in the execution of these numerous tasks and roles become inevitable,” he said.
According to Balogun, training has become an important tool for promoting knowledge and skill as well as a potent instrument of motivation and empowerment, adding that apart from increasing productivity, training orientates the people to their duties and responsibility.
He was optimistic that the three-day training would open windows of opportunities of identifying the various security problems at the grassroots, design strategies for bringing about the desired change and understanding of their roles as security operatives.
“You owe it a duty as security operatives to be steadfast, liaise with community leaders in your areas, source for security information from members of the community and divulge useful and vital information to other relevant security agencies in order to combat crime and ensure peace and tranquillity,” he added.
The commissioner hoped that at the end of the workshop, the participants would be equipped enough to deliver effective and qualitative service to the grassroots people.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development, Mr. Paul Kalejaiye, stated that the workshop is aimed at developing and boosting grassroots security, adding that the workshop would be a continuous one.
Meanwhile, Balogun has bagged an award as the best performing commissioner in the state. The award was conferred on him by the POGIL School of Health Technology, Mowo, Ijebu North, Ogun State.
Receiving the award, Balogun thanked the organisers and dedicated the award to the Lagos State Government.
Comment