Governor Dickson made the call while addressing officers and men of the special security squad codenamed “Operation Doo-Akpor” at its base in Yenagoa.

The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd) explained that the present administration decided to establish the outfit to complement the efforts of other security agencies in the state to maintain peace and security.

Hon. Dickson said government was poised to implement its policy of zero tolerance on crime and violence to the latter with a view to creating a conducive environment for socio-economic activities to thrive in the state.

The State Chief Executive, who acknowledged a reduction in cult and other criminal activities in Yenagoa and its environs, charged the outfit to avoid the pitfalls of its predecessor (Famou-Tamgbe) to justify its establishment as well as allay the fears of the people.

He commended the leadership and men of the security outfit and urged them to collaborate with other security agencies to promote peace and security.

Hon. Dickson also assured them of government’s continued support to enable them perform their duties effectively in the state.

Speaking earlier, the Commander of Operation Doo-Akpor, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bello Ahmed disclosed that over 200 distress calls have so far been received leading to the arrest of about 100 suspects, who have since been handed over to various police divisions for further investigation and prosecution.

ACP Ahmed Bello noted that though the outfit was yet to be officially launched, it started test-run on the 19th of July this year with its officers drawn mainly from the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force, Abuja.

According to the Commander, other operatives are drawn from Bayelsa, Lagos, Rivers and Borno States with some components of marine police elements in addition to 40 civilian drivers.

While expressing the outfit’s preparedness towards tackling security challenges in the state, the Commander solicited more logistic support from the government.

He listed the immediate constraints of the outfit to include construction of observation towers and repair of its power generating set.

Ahmed also called for the provision of identity cards for operatives of the outfit to make for easy identification.
 
 
Daniel Iworiso-Markson
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Bayelsa state
11/09/12