The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu, says the force has procured special patrol vehicles to be deployed soon across highways in the country to tackle insecurity.
Mr Adamu stated this on Tuesday during his official visit to officers and men of the Oyo State Police Command.
The IGP said that the vehicles, which were different from the usual patrol vehicles currently in operation, have special gadgets that would help to easily detect crime on the highways.
Mr Adamu also said that the government had acquired body armour for the protection of officers on duty.
The IGP further said that President Muhammadu Buhari had agreed to ensure that the existing police barracks were renovated while new ones were constructed.
“The renovation and construction of new barracks will solve the problem of officers looking for accommodation to rent and bring back the barracks to the situation it used to be in the past.
“The president has also instructed that special promotion be given to officers that are hardworking and excelling in the performance of their duty.
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” This is to encourage them to put in more effort and I urge you all to be hardworking so as to benefit from this special promotion,” Mr Adamu said.
Mr Adamu commanded the efforts of the Oyo State Police Command in keeping the state safe for businesses to thrive.
He acknowledged that there were isolated challenges, adding that the situation would have been worse if not for the input and dedication of the officers in fighting crimes.
Earlier, the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Shina Olukolu, said the command was keeping watch over more than eight million people in the 33 local council areas of the state
Mr Olukolu said that the state has 10 police area commands with the state headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan.
The commissioner, however, said that the total strength of officers and men in the command was insufficient to police the state.
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He said that the command was blessed with dedicated and highly resourceful officers and men who were professional at their duty posts at any point in time.
“A cursory look at the societal landscape has revealed that Oyo State is not immune from the dynamics of contemporary crimes and criminalities with its attendant challenges and we assure you of our commitment in tackling the situation,” he said.
Mr Olukolu listed the challenges of the command to include inadequate manpower and inadequate office space among others.
The commissioner, however, said that the command had been able to record successes in tackling the security challenges in the state in spite of the challenges.
NAN
