By Jonathan Ugbal
Mr. Uche Anozie, the Commissioner of Police in Cross River state has said that security agencies are not really interested in prosecution of suspected criminals but the prevention of crime.
The police chief made this known on Wednesday in Calabar while sharing his thoughts on “The Reports on Insecurity in the South-South States: Issues, Actors and Solutions” presented by the Niger Delta Dialogue.
“We are not really interested in arrest, we are not really interested in detention and we are not really interested in prosecution. What we are interested in is the prevention of crime,” Mr. Anozie, represented by the Assistant Commissoner of Police operations, Mr. Cletus Nwadogbu said.
However, the prevention of crime meant there was need to be “proactive,” Mr. Anozie said stressing that; “no matter how peaceful a society is, there must be crime. Crime is inevitable.”
“If we must be proactive, one of the key element is information. The proactivity means we have information. This information could also translate into intelligence,” he said.
He lamented that the country has not developed “technologically,” hence, “they have to depend on human intelligence. Everyone should put their hands on the deck and share intelligence.”
Despite recent reports showing an increasing crime rate, the Police chief posited that: “You will agree with me that of all Niger Delta states, Cross River is the most peaceful state.”
He further averred that; “It is an act of God that Cross River State is the most peaceful in the Niger Delta. That is also with the effort of all the security agencies; we are not sleeping.”