Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, has expressed readiness for a partnership with the National Human Rights Commission, to combat crime in Lagos.

According to the agency, it is always willing to enter into any collaboration that will enhance the security of lives and property of all residents of the State.

Its Chairman, Israel Ajao said this while speaking with a delegation of the Commission during a courtesy visit to his Office at Safety Arena, Oshodi, saying since the establishment of the agency, crime rate across the metropolis has reduced drastically.

Ajao, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, said the agency was not in competition with the Police but rather working assiduously to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force.

The Chairman, a one-time zone two Assistant Inspector-General of Police, said one of the functions of the officials of the Agency was to assist in bridging language barrier issues which had been a challenge for some officials of the Police Force while interacting with residents during the process of securing lives and property of Lagosians.

Ajao, also a one-time Lagos State Police Commissioner said the officials of the security outfit were recruited within the various local governments and council development areas as a way of addressing communication issues and other important security-related barriers.

According to Ajao, the agency is in the process of registering all local security outfits to check the excesses of some of them to avoid a future security threat to their employers and other residents in their respective communities.

Earlier, Zonal Coordinator for Southwest Zone of the Commission, Lucas Koyejo informed that the objective of the visit was to make the society crime-free through a cordial synergy with the agency, considering the closeness of officials of the agency to the grassroots.

Koyejo maintained that if the community was not secure, the crime rate in such an environment would increase and such development would automatically hinder human rights in such a society.