Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), on Thursday, met with south-west governors.
The meeting, which held in Lagos state, also had in attendance commissioners of police, heads of other security outfits, attorney-generals and commissioners for justice, traditional rulers and community development committee representatives across the six states.
However, the governors of Oyo, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti states were represented by their deputies – Rauf Olaniyan, Noimot Oyedele, Benedict Alabi and Bisi Egbeyemi – respectively.
Speaking with journalists before the meeting, Rotimi Akeredolu, chairman of the south-west governors, said it was time to deploy community policing because of the peculiarity of every state.
He said community policing ought to be embraced because of numerous security challenges which have overstretched the conventional police.
”This is something of great importance to all of us, something we cannot pretend about, we must be honest with ourselves,” Akeredolu said.
“All of us agree that we are facing security challenges, the National Assembly, the President, nobody is happy with the way things are going.
”We must have a rethink about central police, there is too much on the I-G’s table.”
Also speaking, Adamu said policing had to come from the public and not just from the police.
”We don’t want everything to be taken to the police to handle, there are issues the oba in the community can handle,” the IGP said.
In January, the governors had launched Amotekun, a regional security outfit, to protect lives and properties.
On Wednesday, the IGP met with south-east governors.