The Founder and Executive Director of the African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention (AYICRIP), Amb. Chris Ibe, has called for sustained dialogue and cooperation between the police and young people to tackle crime and improve community safety across the South-East.
Ibe made the call while welcoming participants to a one-day Police-Youth Crime Prevention and Community Safety Dialogue organised by AYICRIP at the Madubuko Mini-Auditorium, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, on Thursday.
The programme, themed “Promoting Police-Youth Relationship and Preventing Negative Profiling Narratives for Improved Security in the South-East Region,” brought together senior police officers, student leaders, academics and representatives of other security agencies.
Ibe said the initiative was conceived against the backdrop of persistent mistrust between law enforcement agencies and citizens, particularly the youth, which he said had often been characterised by negative profiling, stereotyping, mutual suspicion and, in some cases, allegations of police brutality.
According to him, the widening gap between the police and young people could create an environment that criminal elements would exploit to sustain illegal activities.
He stressed that the dialogue was not designed to apportion blame, but to create a platform for bridge-building, mutual understanding and cooperation between security agencies and young citizens.
“A bond anchored on mutual respect, shared responsibility, crime prevention and human-rights-conscious policing across Anambra State.”
The AYICRIP boss urged young people to openly share their experiences and contribute practical ideas towards improving police-youth relations, stressing that constructive dialogue remained essential to achieving sustainable security in Anambra and the wider South-East.
He also expressed appreciation to the management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Spaces for Change for collaborating with AYICRIP on the initiative.
Declaring the event open on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Hilda Osisioma, commended AYICRIP for choosing the university as the venue and expressed hope that the outcome would contribute to better relations between the police and the youth.
Representing the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Administration, DCP Ngozi Ezeabata, announced the establishment of an Anambra State Police-Youth Engagement Platform through which young people can engage the police and report cases of improper conduct. The platform can be reached on 09169531886.
Ezeabata urged the youth to report misconduct through appropriate channels, stressing that effective crime prevention required honest communication and cooperation between the police and young people.
In his keynote address, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Michael Ezenwa, advocated citizen-led policing and called for increased government investment in the police and other security agencies.
He also urged the government to invest in education, skills development and meaningful social protection programmes for young people as part of measures to address the underlying factors that contribute to crime.
The event featured an interactive question-and-answer session and recognition awards for the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Prof. Ezenwa and the Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Mr. Okechukwu Nwanguma, for their contributions to humanity.
Representatives of the NDLEA, Nigeria Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service and Federal Road Safety Corps, as well as police area commanders and student leaders, also participated in the dialogue.
