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Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State Security Council yesterday approved the recruitment of 2,300 personnel for community policing in the state.
Also approved is the recruitment of 460 community volunteer guards, also known as vigilantes, to complement the efforts of conventional security agencies in the state.
Governor Samuel Ortom, who presided over the Council meeting disclosed this while briefing newsmen, adding that the decision to embrace community policing was in line with the resolution reached at the North Central Security meeting held in Lafia, Nasarawa State in January this year, which was at the instance of the Inspector General of Police.
Ortom explained further that 100 community policing personnel as well as 20 community volunteer guards would be recruited from each local government area.
He stated that both the community policing personnel and those of the community volunteer guards would be recruited to help the police in intelligence gathering against crime.
Ortom said, as stipulated in the law, activities of community volunteer guards would be supervised by the permanent secretary, Bureau of Internal Affairs at the state level while council chairmen and district heads would coordinate same at the local government and ward levels respectively.
