The Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, claims that much of the Nigeria Police Force’s efforts in crime prevention go unappreciated by the public, despite the fact that it is one of its most important roles.
Represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Department of Logistics and Supply, A. A. Hamza, the IG addressed the first joint forensic conference and the public presentation of a book titled “Fraud Unmasked” by Dr Preal Ogbulu in Abuja on Thursday.
“For every crime that is prevented, for every crime you don’t see happen, a lot of efforts are put into it. The Constitution and Section 4 of the Nigeria Police Act mandate the Nigeria Police Force to prevent and detect crime. Most important is preventing crime. It is cheaper, it is faster, and it reduces victimisation of victims.”
He mentioned that the public’s perception of police officers frequently focused on crimes committed rather than prevention successes.
Egbetokun said, “So for every crime we prevent, we are not seen as doing anything. But when we are actually rated is when crimes take place. Even at that, we are given the responsibility as the Nigeria Police Force to prevent and detect crime and prosecute offenders.”
Egbetokun praised the book for addressing forensic investigation difficulties, which he believes are critical to both crime prevention and prosecution.
He stated that the book is consistent with the Nigeria Police Force’s primary mandate and emphasises the necessity of partnerships in crime prevention.
“One of them is that the book pointed out that no agency can do it alone. So we must have collaboration. Having collaboration is what Olukayode Egbetokun has stood for,” he said.
He also stated that inter-agency synergy had improved in recent times.
“We’ve not had it so good like now that we’re having very perfect inter-agency collaboration. And we’re making a lot of efforts and some successes,” he said.
Speaking on the value of forensics, the IGP noted that “the book has told us what forensics is for. It is a science that helps prosecution. Digital forensics, or the forensics of fraud, generally should aid prosecution.”
Speaking at the event, Ogbulu stated that, “The conference and book presentation focused on strategies to address fraud in Nigeria.
“This conference and book presentation is on how we can tackle fraud in our society. Fraud is not just a legal problem but a national crisis, and it has robbed us of our opportunity and everything we stand for.
“We have brought together experts from various organisations into one room so that we can further collaborate on how we can tackle fraud,” she said.
