The Commissioner of Police (CP) in Plateau state, Bartholomew Onyeka, has said mutual trust between law enforcement officers and residents is essential for the effective policing of the state.
Speaking while delivering a keynote address at a one-day retreat for human rights stakeholders organised by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) on Thursday in Jos, Onyeaka said the concept of technology-driven policing is intelligence oriented.
He said no police agency either in the advanced or developing climes can succeed in its mandate without the consent, support and trust of the citizens in its official assignment.
He added that the Police is engaged to serve and protect regardless of how well-equipped, trained or motivated they may be to create a conducive environment for the residents to pursue their businesses.
He emphasised that police legitimacy draws from public consent and trust, stressing that a lack of effective partnership between the police and the public can only sustain ineffective policing and engender insecurity within the community.
Onyeaka emphasised that the security situation across Plateau State has been relatively stabilised with people going about their normal way of life.
“The reality is that the current concerted operations of the police and other security agencies in the state have engendered a dispersal and relocation of some of the criminals out of the state,” he added.
Dr Theophilus Danjuma, the chairman of the event, explained that the retreat was meant to seek ways to improve human rights protection and community access to justice in the country for a harmonious relationship.