In spite of the orchestrated report of insecurity in Imo State, statistics has proved that the police are actually gaining the upper hand against criminals in the state.
In fact, it has been established that the crime rate has drastically reduced from what it used to be when Governor Hope Uzodimma assumed office in 2020 and now after his five years in office.
The Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba attributed the progress to modern strategies adopted by the police in combating criminals and the continued logistics support by the state government.
According to him, statistics released by the Imo state command indicated that reported cases of armed robbery dropped to 391 last year as against 502 obtained in 2022.
Within the same period under review, he said, the number of recovered ammunition rose to 2242 in 2024 as against 1,142 in 2020.
The Commissioner also noted that the police secured hundreds of convictions while a number of suspcted criminals were neutralized during gun battles.
According to him, a large number of kidnapped victims were also rescued by the police within the period under review.
” I am happy to inform Imo people that contrary to the insinuations by misguided elements, reported cases of insecurity has been dropping drastically from what it was in 2020 and the end of last year “, he submitted.
He said the quantum of arrests made by the police, the number of conviction of criminals and the large caches of arms and ammunitions recovered including number of kidnapped victims rescued confirm that the police are winning the war on insecurity in Imo State.
Emelumba noted that unlike in 2020, when criminals went on rampage with 422 reported armed robbery cases, the police quickly mobilized to force them into a retreat, with the number reducing to 388 the next year.
He also reported that the number of murder cases went down to 102 in 2023 from 131 in 2020.
He disclosed that the state government has been consistent in its support to the police and security agencies so as to make Imo safe for the citizenry and investors.
While commending the police and other security forces for their gallant efforts to combat criminality in the state, Emelumba appealed to the citizens to assist them with useful information to make their jobs easier.