A former Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, says though the idea of state police is good, most state governments, are not yet mature, politically and security-wise, to establish their police forces.

He stressed the need for a legal and policy framework for strategic partnership that would distribute roles and responsibilities between state and non-state actors.

Arase said this at the weekend in Okada, in Ovia North East Local Government of Edo State during the 84th birthday lecture of Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion.

He also stated that rivalry among the security agencies was hindering the fight against crime in the country.

“For us to overcome this, security agencies should know what their roles are and share information with each other as one agency can’t do it alone without collaborative effort for others agencies.

“Government alone can’t do it, there is supposed to be private sector participation just as Chief Gabriel Igbinedion has done in his many spheres of intervention. Security is not just about policing, but economic and social intervention to curb crimes. Both government and private sector should come together to ensure security,” he said.

Arase noted that successive governments had tried in the enactment of laws aimed at guaranteeing national security, crime prevention and crime control, saying however that it was difficult for him “to give the same credence on the issues of interpretation and enforcement of the laws,”

He advised the police to improve on community policing in the area of building trust “because the police all over the world cannot do their job well without winning the trust of the people that will help them in fighting crime.”

•Sourced from a Daily Trust report