…As Rivers Governor Donates Surveillance Centre, 10 Armoured Vehicles To Police.

The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali, has urged states and other security stakeholders to emulate Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State’s efforts at boosting crime-fighting through provision of technical and ICT intensive infrastructures.

The IGP made the appeal, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, where he was a guest of honour to Governor Wike, inaugurated the Police Intelligence and Surveillance Centre, Ogbum-Nu-Abali community, built by the Rivers State government to further boost security in the state with round the clock surveillance.

IGP reacted, “This project is a main boost to my agenda of policing Nigeria in this contemporary time, in tandem with providing international best practices of using technology and ICT to police with ease.

“I assure you that Police will judiciously use this centre in collaboration with our cybercrime unit to tackle all forms of crime and criminality. We will do the needful to discharge our duty as expected.

“You can sit and police Rivers by getting a live time incident report and you can also have the opportunity to send a team that is on standby at the station. I think this is the international practice. We will encourage, and also appeal to other state governments and other stakeholders to repeat such project that will make human factor not an issue.”

Wike while handing over the police facility to the IGP, pledged Rivers government’s assistance with provision of 10 armoured vehicles to further strengthen efficiency of the Ogbum-Nu-Abali Police Intelligence and Surveillance Centre as well as replication of the centre, six months from now.

He stated: “This is our own contribution to making sure we have peace, fight insecurity, and that those who do business and reside here sleep with their two eyes closed. Let me commend our special guest of honour for the support you’re giving to this command to fight crime.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Okon Effiong, acknowledged that “the governor had earlier provided for the installation of CCTV security and surveillance cameras at all the entry and exit points in the state.”

“He has also graciously given approval for installation of cameras in all major cities in the state. In Port Harcourt for instance, about 150 cameras are being mounted. What this translate to is that from this centre, the entire state will come under a surveillance radar that will be active 24/7.