The Anambra State Police Command has directed the eight Area Command and 54 Divisional Coordinators of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) to intensify grassroots engagement and stakeholder advocacy as part of efforts to strengthen community policing and prevent crime across the state.
The directive was issued during a strategic meeting with the coordinators at the Command Headquarters in Awka, where the Police stressed that lasting security can only be achieved through close collaboration with communities and key stakeholders.
The Command urged the coordinators to work more closely with traditional rulers, religious leaders, schools, youth and women groups, market associations, civil society organisations and other community-based groups to promote public safety and strengthen community resilience.
According to the Police, POCACOV remains a vital platform for tackling crime through advocacy, mentorship, value reorientation and public enlightenment rather than relying solely on law enforcement.
The coordinators were therefore instructed to intensify sensitisation campaigns against cultism, drug abuse, cybercrime, domestic violence, bullying and other social vices threatening peace and development in communities.
Ahead of the planned visit of the National Coordinator of POCACOV, the Command also directed the coordinators to organise town hall meetings, school outreach programmes, youth mentorship initiatives, media campaigns and stakeholder dialogues aimed at promoting responsible citizenship, peaceful coexistence and respect for the rule of law.
The Police further noted that effective policing requires public trust and active community participation, urging residents to support security agencies by providing timely and credible information capable of preventing crime.
Reaffirming its commitment to community policing, the Anambra State Police Command pledged to sustain stakeholder-driven security initiatives through POCACOV and other proactive crime prevention programmes aimed at ensuring lasting peace and public order across the state.
