Anambra Police Urges POCACOV Coordinators to Intensify Community Engagement Ahead of National Visit
By Chizoba Njaka
The Anambra State Police Command has directed its eight Area Command and fifty-four Divisional Coordinators of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) to strengthen community engagement and stakeholder advocacy as part of a proactive, non-kinetic policing strategy to prevent crime, enhance public safety, and bolster community resilience across the State.
The directive was issued on July 14 at a strategic engagement held at the Command Headquarters in Awka, where the Command reiterated that lasting security depends on enhanced cooperation between the Police and key stakeholders including traditional institutions, religious organisations, educational institutions, youth and women’s groups, market associations, civil society organisations, and other community-based bodies.
The Command emphasised POCACOV’s strategic role in crime prevention, noting that the initiative promotes advocacy, mentorship, moral reorientation, and public enlightenment. Coordinators were directed to escalate grassroots sensitisation campaigns addressing cultism, substance abuse, cybercrime, domestic violence, bullying, and other social vices that jeopardise peace, security, and socio‑economic development.
In anticipation of the forthcoming visit by the National Coordinator of POCACOV, the coordinators were further tasked with organising town‑hall meetings, school and community engagements, media advocacy programmes, youth mentorship initiatives, and stakeholder dialogues designed to promote responsible citizenship, peaceful coexistence, respect for the rule of law, and collective commitment to crime prevention.
The Command emphasised that effective policing transcends mere law enforcement, encompassing the cultivation of public trust, the reinforcement of community partnerships, and the mobilisation of citizens to protect their environment by providing timely, credible, and actionable information.
The Police Command however reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to strengthening community policing and advancing stakeholder-driven security initiatives through the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) and other proactive crime prevention programmes. The command also called on residents to sustain their collaboration with the Police in promoting and preserving peace, security, and public order across Anambra State.