The J4A programme, in collaboration with the Dutse Central Police Station, organized an open day on the 11th June 2015. The open day was used to show the public the newly improved station and reveal the reform interventions that had been supported by the J4A programme in developing a Model Police Station (MPS). The event provided the platform for citizens to interact with the police and to ask questions pertaining to safety within their community.
The District Traffic Officer (DTO) made a presentation about the ongoing reform work to visitors, which changed the minds of some sceptical guests. For example, a Senior Lecturer from the Federal University of Dutse indicated that his doctoral thesis had been specifically about the concept of Community Policing and he can testify to the good work and changes made in the Dutse Model Police Station.
He revealed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) had agreed to a number of his students undertaking placements with the local police and was more than happy to assist the police in any way he could through adopting a partnership approach. This kind of community interaction is precisely the aim of the interventions designed to spread the message of Community Based Policing.