The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, on Monday in Kaduna, said that the northern geopolitical summit is providing veritable opportunity to engage stakeholders in identifying security threats that are peculiar to the zone.

He stated this while presenting a paper titled “Security Situation in the North and Other Parts of Nigeria” at the 6th General Assembly of the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held in Kaduna.

According to him, the rate of crime in the north and other parts of the country had not only been stabilised but had witnessed a consistent decline.

He said the implementation of community policing strategy had proven potent in the Nigerian Police drive to stabilise the security space across Nigeria as the trust gap between the police and the citizens is being minimised.

The IGP noted that in order to sustain the success already recorded, “there is a need for continuous monitoring the dynamics of crime and reviewing the strategies and enhance operational capacity in order to remain a step ahead of the criminals.”

He explained that recently, the Nigerian Police Force was partnering with the Nigeria Airforce as part of efforts to combat the threat of banditry and kidnapping in the north.

He said the community partnership approach has not only engendered renewed collaboration between the police, military and other security agencies, but also provided opportunities to secure the support of state governors, traditional rulers and grassroots-based non state actors.

The IGP explained that the operational strategies employed by the police, coupled with the support of state governors, traditional rulers, hunters, vigilantes and citizens at the grassroots in communities across the north and other parts of the country, combined to achieve success.

Speaking on the strategies for sustaining the current stable security order in the north and other parts of the country, the IGP said the Nigerian police had employed actions directed at giving effect to its technology-driven policing strategy and strengthening its operational capacity with a view to engaging and deploying policing hardwares and softwares.

Other strategies, he added, were completion of the Nigeria Police Operations Command and Control Center which would serve as National Joint Operation Center of Military and other security agencies, establishment of Nigeria Police National Crime and Incident Data Base Center, among others.

He also emphasized that the royal fathers had a critical role to play in engendering effective policing, appealing to them to utilize their broad influences towards drawing the attention of governments at all levels on the need to prioritise the security of lives and property of citizens.