Lagos Police Command ranks first in Africa

Author(s): Patience Ogbo
The Victoria Island police station, Lagos State police command has emerged the top police station and regional winner of the Police Station Visitors Week(PSVW) 2012 in Africa.
An award ceremony was held to honour the station on Tuesday, at the HS Continental Blue Ribbon hotel in Lagos, where the District Police Officer (DPO) of the Victoria Island, Adegoke Fayoade, was presented with the award.

Adegoke Fayoade (DPO)

The police station emerged winner during the Altus Annual Award ceremony which took place on August 9, 2013, at the Laico Regency Hotel in Nariobi, Kenya.
The Victoria Island police station came first over 343 police stations from five other African countries: Benin,Cameroon, Kenya, Liberia and Ghana.
Blessing Abiri, Altus Regional Representative/Senior Programme Officer, CLEEN Foundation, stated that Victoria Island police station was rated across the five indicator areas in the 2012 Police Station Visitors’ Week based on Community Orientation(100%); Physical Condition(96.67%); Equal treatment of the public (96. 67%);Transparency and Accountability(100%) and detention condition(100%). She added that the station showed innovative policing practices that could help improve the service delivery of police stations.
She said, “The sixth edition of the Police Station Visitors Week held in 2012 was organised by the Altus Global Alliance in 17 countries, to provide local civilians with an opportunity to visit local police stations and assess the services they provide. In Africa, six countries-Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Nigeria, participated in the 2012 Police Station Visitors’ Week with a total of 343 participating police stations across the six countries. A total of 1,153 visitors participated”.
The report also revealed that 262 police stations were visited in Nigeria with seven police stations in the Lagos police command getting top ranks among police stations in Nigeria.
These stations are: Victoria Island police station(98. 67%); Alakuko police station(96. 25%); Badagry police station,(87%); Ajah police station (83%); Ilupeju police station (83%); Ijaniki Police station (88%); Alakara police (85. 67%). Others are the Kuje police station FCT (82. 67%); Central police station Akwa Abia State (83. 33% and the Olu-Obasanjo Police Station,Rivers State (82%).
Speaking on the award, the Divisional Police Officer, Victoria Island police station, Adegoke Fayoade, stated that the station adopted a “people centric” policing style which was based on community participation in securing life and property.
He said, “In line with the IGP transformation agenda to build a people friendly police force that is professional, disciplined, dedicated, effective, selfless, efficient, upright and a force that will respect the rights of the citizenry, we keyed into this to create a people centric , prevention and basic enforcement module based on what the demands of the people are. We created an enabling environment that encouraged members of the public to visit the station, report cases and pass vital information. Police visibility and accessibility were enhanced. Neighbourhood policing was introduced and policemen on vehicular, motorcycle and foot patrol dotted everywhere on the Island. Our cells are among the best in the world”.
Former commissioner of police, Frank Odita, who was the special guest at the event urged other policemen to emulate Adegoke, and contribute to the development of the Nigerian Police Force.