The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti, Mr Amba Asuquo, on Wednesday, 14th August, said tough times awaits criminals in the state and neighbouring states who failed to amend their ways.

The police commissioner, who gave the warning in Ado Ekiti, at a Security/Media briefing, said the command was now collaborating with men of the vigilance groups, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) as well as hunters.

He said that this was because of their nearness to the people at the grassroots as a way of preventing as well as controlling crimes.

According to him, such collaboration had become necessary because such non-government security organizations were useful agents in knowing the movements and hideouts of criminals as well as exposing crimes before they are committed.

He said the hitch-free Sallah celebration in the state was part of the results of such collaborative efforts.

“Can you imagine that even recently, when we were on the trail of some criminals in Iyemero Ekiti, so many of the traditional hunters and OPC men entered the bush with us, and I was amazed at the results we got.

“We do recognise their importance in information gathering and crime prevention, but what we are against is for them to either take laws into their hands or go out of their bounds to single-handedly punish without handing over arrested suspects to us for proper investigation and consequent prosecution,” he said.

Newsmen report that Asuquo, who spoke along with the Chairman, Police Public Relations Committee, (PPRC) in Ekiti, Mr Sunday Makinde, disclosed that all the Police Commissioners in the South West states now had interstate arrangements capable of tackling cross-border criminality.

He listed some of the heinous crimes under focus to include: armed robbery, kidnapping, vandalization of public utilities and destruction of telecoms installations among others, saying several suspects had already been arrested in the last couple of months.

He assured of the safety of any member of the public that was ready to volunteer useful information that could lead to bursting of crimes in the state, promising that such classified information would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

Asuquo, however released a Special Emergency Number 08062335577 to report emergencies, assuring that his men would arrive at the scene from the nearest police station for action within five minutes.

He thanked Gov. Kayode Fayemi for his support to the command with modern communication gadgets and for promising to do more by the time the Security Trust Fund he recently created, become operational.

Also speaking at the event, the state chairman of the PPRC, Makinde said the committee would continue to work towards fostering good working relationship between the police and law abiding members of the public.