- The Air Provost Conference of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) commenced on Monday, July 30, in Abuja
- Air Force boss, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar, was the guest of honour at the event
- He pointed out the need for the NAF provost to be abreast with the latest trends in crime fighting and security
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar, has tasked the NAF provost to be abreast with the latest trends in crime fighting and security.
The CAS made the request while delivering the keynote address at the Air Provost Conference of the NAF, which commenced on Monday, July 30, in Abuja.
The Air Force boss noted that one of the major challenges faced by law enforcement agencies presently is “how to best exploit the strengths and weaknesses inherent in an organization, to act with predictability in a violent, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment.”
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He continued: “Today, the traditional methods of policing, although necessary, have become less effective owing to the influence of technology in the perpetration of crime. Crime rates and modalities have escalated with the advent of the internet, and this trend is unlikely to go away soon.
“Globalization has also made it possible for criminals to exploit fast changing technological advancements in comparison to the accessibility and adaptability of law enforcement agencies, who are often constrained by formalities and barriers in terms of the extent to which their operations can be justified by law.
“Over the years, the dynamics of crime and contemporary security threats have challenged the capacity of the Air Provost to deliver with efficacy on its mandate as a custodian of security, and law enforcement in the Nigerian Air Force.”
He informed his audience that in leveraging on the key driver of human capacity development through robust and result oriented training for enhanced professional performance, NAF has commenced building the capacity of the Air Provost to effectively employ scientific approaches in all facets of its critical competencies.
The Air Force boss said the provost would need to acquire both indigenous and foreign expertise and experiences that would keep it abreast with the latest trends and developments in crime fighting and security.
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“The acquisition of these capacities would be crucial to the Provost’s relevance and resilience in a dynamic environment.
“Already, 16 Air Provost personnel comprising officers and men have commenced a core investigative skills and investigative interviewing course scheduled to end in 2 week.
“Another set of 16 personnel are set to begin the Crime Scene Investigation course by September this year.
“These courses, which are conducted in conjunction with credible foreign partners from the United Kingdom, are intended to reinforce the culture and efficacy of scientific approaches to policing in the Nigerian Air Force.
“It is envisaged that with more emphasis on the use of scientific aids to policing, the Air Provost would be better poised to speedily and effectively discharge its law enforcement and security duties with a higher degree of accuracy,” the CAS added.
NAIJ.com gathered that the Provost Investigation Center has since been upgraded into a Group status, and the expansion, remodeling and reactivation of the Provost Investigation Group’s Crime Laboratory which has been disused for over 30 years is ongoing.
Air Marshal Abubakar expressed optimism that once the crime laboratory becomes operational, forensic investigation will receive a boost in the NAF.
Akin to the development of investigative and forensic skills, the NAF is also at an advanced stage in expanding and enhancing its utilization of Military Working Dogs to boost the physical security of NAF bases especially critical mission essential areas.
This growth is equally projected to create the capacity for the Air Provost to be integrated in the conduct of Combat Search and Rescue operations in the Service.
Speaking earlier, a security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, made a presentation and spoke on the topic: Scientific Approach to Crime Prevention: A Perquisite for Contemporary Air Police Operations.
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He tasked the Air provost to commit themselves to changing their status quo to be a much better arm of the NAF.
The occasion also witnessed the unveiling and launch of the Air Provost peak cap by the CAS, who decorated senior Provost officers.
Meanwhile, the NAF has said it had successfully completed the in-house life extension programme on one of its C-130H aircraft, NAF 913.
The spokesperson for the force, Olatokunbo Adesanya, in a statement on Wednesday, July 25, said the airlift capability of the service has been improved following the extension programme the aircraft.
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Source: Naija.ng