Akwa Ibom State Police Command has made a case for the installation of Close Circuit Television ( CCTV ) cameras in major cities in the state to checkmate crimes rate .
Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon, a Superintendent of Police, said for security to be further strengthened in the state, there should be a digitalization of the whole apparatus in the state.
The Police spokesperson stated this on Tuesday while playing host to members of the Correspondents’ chapel during his annual get-together in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.
It could be recalled that the governor of the State, Mr Udom Emmanuel had mooted the idea of installing CCTV cameras in the state but yet to execute the idea.
The PPRO said the CCTV cameras would help to tackle insecurity and called on the incoming governor, Pastor Umo Eno to make it a priority in his administration.
He said: “We are calling on the incoming administration, whom we believe has the capacity to do this, to digitalize and make policing in Akwa Ibom State technologically driven.
“Let’s have CCTV everywhere in Uyo. It is doable, it is possible. Let’s have it in Ikot Ekpene, in Eket, in most towns in Akwa Ibom, if we cannot have it in all the villages and all the local governments.
“I’m an advocate of community policing, it will help to a great extent to curb crimes and criminality in our villages.”
He also alerted of the rising number of car theft in the state and warned car owners to be security conscious of their vehicles as much as possible.
He disclosed that the command recently recovered seven stolen exotic vehicles from different locations in the state.
While revealing that three man syndicates were involved in the theft, the PPRO said the command was working hard to ensure that the ugly menace is tackled totally.
He said, “It pains the Commissioner of Police that now, one of the crimes we are battling with in Akwa Ibom State now is an increase in car theft. There is an increase in car theft and I am calling on Akwa Ibomites to always keep an eye on their vehicles as much as they can,” he stated.
“As a command, we recovered only recently about seven exotic cars, stolen from different parts of this state, traced to the receivers, recovered and given back to the people.
“They are like three syndicates operating in this town. You park your vehicle and before you go in and come out, your vehicle has disappeared. That nonsense is about to end. ”
