The Crime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (CRAN) has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Police Service Commission (PSC) to promote ASP Julius Robinson, who is the leader of CP- Special Assignment, Delta State Police Command.
The Association made the appeal at its annual lecture/award series in Lagos recently.
CRAN president, Olalekan Olabulo, described ASP Robinson as one of the most reliable officers in the Force and deserves better than his present rank of ASP.
He said since 2022, CRAN had been following his achievements, especially his crime busting strategies, using cutting-edge technology. “He is a product of the IGP Intelligence Response Team, who has learnt a lot from his former boss. He was singled out by the former Delta CP, Mohammed Ali, who made him a leader of a crack team and he has been working seriously. We are happy that the present CP Olufemi Abaniwonda still retained him for his good job and gave him more powers and logistics to carry on with his war against crime and criminality,” he said.
He stressed that with his pedigree, the Police high command and the PSC should look into the crime buster’s issue and promote him to the next rank.
He said that Robinson had received numerous awards within and outside the country, including a triple award by Security Watch Africa (SWA), in 2016 in Ghana, where he was nominated as the Best Crime Buster in Africa. In 2018, in Gambia, he was nominated as the best Intelligence Led Policing Officer. In 2020, in Dubai, he received an award as the best Proactive Officer and in 2023, he received the award as the crime buster of the year by CRAN, and today, he is being bestowed with the same Award of the crime buster of the year by CRAN.
He emphasised the need for security agencies to adopt modern technological solutions to combat the rising wave of violent crimes, including kidnapping, armed robbery and banditry.
Speaking at the event, themed, ‘Harnessing Technological Innovations for Crime Prevention and Control in Nigeria,’ he said: “The current security challenges facing the country require innovative and proactive approaches.
“Technology has revolutionised the way crimes are committed and investigated. It’s high time our security agencies tapped into this potential.”
He highlighted the importance of surveillance systems, forensic analysis and data analytics in modern policing, noting the need for inter-agency collaboration and information sharing to combat transnational crimes.
“The Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Services and other security agencies must work together to develop a comprehensive strategy that incorporates technology to prevent, detect and investigate crimes,” he stressed.
He also called on the Federal Government to provide the necessary funding and support to enable security agencies to acquire and deploy modern technological solutions.
“The fight against violent crime requires a collective effort. “We urge the government and security agencies to take proactive steps to leverage technology and ensure the safety and security of Nigerians,” he stated.
The call by the CRAN President came amid growing concerns over the rising incidence of violent crimes in Nigeria, with many calling for innovative solutions to address the challenge.
“This year, we will be looking at how we can harness technological innovation to prevent and control crime. Technology is the main thing in town now.
“There is nothing we can do now without technology. We want to tell the government, the president of Nigeria and heads of agencies to deploy technology in the fight against insecurity. There are a lot of tools we can use to fight insecurity in Nigeria.
“There is data analytics, there is good technology, there is AI and there are apps that we can use to fight insecurity in Nigeria. The government, as a matter of urgency and necessity, should deploy technology. We have continued to lose our security agents.
“You can also use information technology and other things to fight crime. Another thing we also do during our work is to honour officers who have done well in the area of security. We have carefully chosen our recipients for this year and nobody can fault them,” he added.
