V’ Island Police Station voted best in Africa

The Victoria Island Police Station in Lagos has been voted best police station in the region in the Police Stations visitors Week (PSVW) 2012. PSVW is organised by the Altus Global Alliance in collaboration with CLEEN Foundation, a non governmental organisation aimed at promoting public safety, security and accessible justice in Nigeria, across 17 countries to provide the public opportunity to visit and access the services they provide.

The station was rated across five indicators, namely community policing 100 per cent, physical condition 96.7 per cent, equal treatment of the public 96.6 per cent, transparency and accountability 100 per cent and detention facilities 100 per cent,  to emerge winner of the 2012 edition of the programme initiated in 2006. The station was also recognised for good and innovative policing practice that has helped improve its service delivery at the ceremony that held in Nairobi, Kenya last August. The award was presented to Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Adegoke Fayode, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the station in Lagos on Tuesday. In his response, Fayode, who is winning the award a second time, having first won it in 2007, while at the Ilupeju Police Station, thanked the organisers for Awards and for their efforts at keeping the police on its toes. He said the Victoria Island Police which was established in the 1960s emerged winner of the competition having undergone tremendous reformation over the years.
He said that since assuming leadership of the station, he has introduced a new innovation tagged Smart Policing, aimed at being available through prompt response, being helpful by showing empathy and addressing the needs of the society, being respectful by treating the public with respect and open minded, even as the officers are not to judge and being competent by exhibiting high level of professionalism. He said the innovation, which he referred to as People Centric Policing, requires the police working according to the demands of the people who they are supposed to serve.
Earlier in his remark, Frank Oditta, a retired Commissioner of Police, commended the DPO for his efforts, noting that with such new innovations, the police stations are again becoming some of the safest places to be.  “In the past, the police station was a safe place to be. But at a point it became one of the most dangerous places. It is a thing of joy to see a police officer who has distinguished himself among his peers to have won an award for Nigeria. This has brought meaning to the phrase ‘the police is your friend’, Oditta remarked.

Source: Daily Independent