The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has announced the plan of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to recruit 40,000 community policing officers as part of its community-focused policing architecture.

He said the officers will be deployed to complement the NPF in law enforcement functions within their localities by performing low-risk and non-sensitive duties.
The recruitment of the officers, according to the IGP, will free up Police personnel to perform conventional functions and enhance manpower profile in relation to deployment to the frontline, operational duties.
“The CPOs will be recruited from within the communities where the prospective applicants reside and an average of fifty (50) CPOs are to be engaged in each of the 774 Local Government Areas.
“In addition, one thousand, three hundred (1,300) CPOs will be drawn from professional bodies like the academics, road transport unions, artisans, traders associations, religious bodies, women unions, and youth organizations among others in order to ensure diverse representation,” he said.
The implementation of the Community Policing strategy is expected to bridge the gap between the Police and the citizens in a manner that will enhance optimal, cost-effective, and sustainable law enforcement service delivery.

Adamu also announced that a total of 4,187 criminal suspects were arrested nationwide by the Force since January 2019.
He further revealed that 506 kidnapped victims were also safely rescued from kidnappers.
1,181 firearms, of various descriptions and caliber, and 389 stolen vehicles were also recovered from criminals.
The IGP said the conference is important to keep officers updated with the dynamics of crime and to jointly discuss pathways towards either strengthening existing strategies or evolving new approaches.