Eight officers of Lagos State Police Command have been dismissed over serious criminal offences, while six were demoted in ranks.

According to the command, one hundred and eight officers were disciplined for various offences from January to July, this year.

Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, said this at a Stakeholders’ Forum on “Police Accountability and Presentation of Advocacy Materials at the command’s headquarters, Ikeja.

Edgal said fifty-eight other officers recorded major entries, six officers reprimande; twenty-eight officers got warning; four officers had extra fatigue; while five were discharged for lack of evidences against them.

He called on residents in the state to continue to assist the police with the right information, saying the twenty-eight thousand officers and men in Lagos are inadequate to police the state.

According to him, community policing in the state is working as it had reduced crimes by 35 per cent.

Commending the forum organised by the civil society groups, he said that it would also assist the police to perform better.

Imohimi, while appointing a senior police officer, SP Abubakar Aliyah from the X-Squad, as member of the forum, promised to monitor the activities of the forum,

Also, National Coordinator, Network For Police Reform In Nigeria and Chairman of the forum, Okechukwu Nwanguma spoke on “Toward Sustained Community Partnership with the Lagos State Police”.

Nwanguma said the forum was formed with a view to have regular engagement and interaction with the Lagos State Police Command on issues of police accountability.

“The platform is to stand as a liaison between the police and the communities.

“This is with a view to deepening partnership between the police and the communities they serve and to improve public safety and security.

“We want to gain deeper understanding of the workings of the various complaints and disciplinary mechanisms within the Lagos State Police Command and the feedback system.

“We want to have a formalised and structured engagement with them, contribute to strengthening them and promoting police accountability,” he said.

Nwanguma commended Imohimi for his human rights record, noting that he was one of the best commissioners in the country with good human rights police command.

Head of Monitoring, National Human Rights Commission, South-West, Nneka Anigbo, said the launch of the forum was a welcome development.

Anigbo said the commission would support the forum to succeed, and commended the CP for a job well done in the state.

President of Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, Odita Sunday, praised the initiative behind the forum, urging Edgal to maintain the high level of crime fighting.

Highlight of the launch included the presentation of some advocacy materials by Nwanguma and Mrs Bose Iro Ndu of Women’s Rights and Health Project.