By Christopher Oji
The Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kehinde Longe, has suggested ways by which financial institutions can help to bring down the crime rate in the society.
Speaking during a courtesy call on him by the Managing Director of LivingTrust Mortgage Bank Plc, Mr. Adekunle Adewole, and some members of the bank’s management, at the command headquarters, in Osogbo, the police boss said banks have very important roles to play in making the society safer for all.
Longe, who expressed delight at the visit, listed financial inclusion, funding of MSMEs and artisans as some of the ways banks can help to make crime less tempting to individuals, especially young people.
He opined that if people are productively engaged, their propensity for engaging in crime will become very low.
The police boss also advocated a more robust partnership between security agencies and the banking industry, noting that a closer and more robust collaboration between the two institutions would be mutually rewarding and also beneficial to the larger society.
According to a statement by the bank, in Osogbo, last Wednesday, Longe said as joint stakeholders in the security sector, the police and financial institutions should work together to ensure that the majority of financial crimes perpetrated by fraudulent bank officials and customers are preempted and nipped in the bud.
“On the other hand, financial institutions, too, can support the police with the provision of equipment that will aid our overall efficiency. After all, security is everybody’s business,” the statement quoted the police boss as further saying.
Responding, Adewole described the visit as a fallout of the bank’s renewed partnership with the NPF, which commenced with the visit to the AIG Zone ‘11’, Mr. Akande Sikiru Kayode, last week.
He said the bank’s management decided to take the call further with the visit to the police commissioner. Adewole said it has become imperative for banks and the police to work together, to ensure a more effective and less rancorous recovery of bad debts. The statement said Adewole and Longe further brainstormed on how the two entities could work together to improve the security situation in the state.
“Adewole and the police commissioner discussed possible areas of collaboration to improve the overall security situation in the state. They also discussed how the police could assist banks with bad debts recovery, given the complexity of Nigeria’s operating environment,” the statement reads.
Adewole, who is also a Supernumerary Superintendent of Police, pledged the bank’s continuous support for the command, beginning with the refurbishment of some of their operational vehicles.
Longe was joined by other senior officers in the command, including DCP Charles Dike, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations and DCP Omosanya Eyintayo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, State CID, to welcome the visitors.