I won’t take sides with politicians – Bayelsa police chief

The new Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Mukan Joe, on Tuesday said he was in Bayelsa to fight crime professionally and not to play politics.

Joe, who spoke at the state command Yenagoa, specifically assured all stakeholders that he would not take sides with politicians in the buildup to the 2019 general elections.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) including the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, expressed reservations over the recent posting of Joe to the state.

But the police chief, who once served in the state as a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said stakeholders had nothing to be afraid of insisting that his mission was not politically-motivated.

Joe vowed to adhere strictly to the responsibilities of the police, which he referred to as a call to duty.

He maintained that his leadership would only provide a level-playing field by ensuring security for politicians to play their politics.

He said: “We always strike a balance by playing a neutral role. We won’t be distracted by people trying to address us in a borrowed rope of supporting politicians. We are not politicians. 

“We are here to maintain law and order and provide security for those who play politics. We must ensure that there is a level-playing ground by giving them the security needed. 

Read Also: Bayelsa schools can’t open now, says Dickson

“We are not here to take sides with anybody. If the police is to have have a political party our own political party is the Nigerian Police Force Political party.

He added: “We know the responsibilities of the police. The police work is just like a call to duty and you are expected to be a professional. Our basic responsibility is the protection of lives and properties. That is my main mission in Bayelsa. 

“Bayelsa is not a new terrain to me. I know the terrain very well because l was opportune to serve here briefly. I identified the issue of cultism in Bayelsa when l reported last week”.

Joe further said that he had already mapped out strategies to deal tight the disturbing issues of cultism in different parts of the state.

He said part of the strategies included being proactive to prevent crimes before their occurrence adding that his approach would be guided by intelligence.

“I have already mapped out strategies to tackle it. We are going to be proactive in our approach to fight crime in Bayelsa. We will not wait for it to happen. We will take the war to their dens. 

“We will smoke them out because we have already mapped out how we can go about it. We don’t wait for it to happen before we take action. It will be intelligence-driven. So, when we are taking the war to them we know exactly what we are going to do. We don’t take sides with politicians”.