The Police in Plateau State is partnering with traditional rulers to curtail violence, especially in Plateau north senatorial zone and other parts of the state.

The state commissioner of Police, Chris Olakpe, announced the formation of the committee during a one-day interactive session with traditional and religious leaders on Tuesday in Jos.

The committee which he referred to as the joint Police/ Traditional Rulers Security Committee, is made up of 20 members and will be headed by the Ponhzi Tarok, Domkat Bali, a general and the Emir of Wase, Sambo Haruna, will act as deputy.

Meetings will be held at the end of every month at the police command headquarters in Jos to trash out grey areas, through intelligence information sharing.

“Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), have been directed to also set up local security committees in their respective divisions, with the same mandate of sharing security information with the police,” Olakpe said.

The commissioner appealed to the people of the state to provide vital information on the activities of criminals, assuring that such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

“We shall now rely heavily on you to provide the necessary information to break this group of criminals that have been killing innocent farmers and cattle breeders,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the traditional rulers, the chief of Langai village in Mangu local government area, Yunusa Yaktor, said that the leaders needed police protection before they could provide such security details about criminals in their domains.

“Any Traditional ruler that passes information about criminals in his area without proper security protection, will not live to see the next day. When a leader passes information to the police about a criminal and that criminal is later released, he will be intimidating such leader,” he stressed.

He, however, expressed the readiness of traditional rulers in the state to work with the police.