The Lagos State Task Force has unveiled a dedicated anti-crime patrol unit, a move authorities describe as a decisive step to curb criminal activities and environmental violations across the metropolis.

The new unit, operating on a round-the-clock basis, is designed as a rapid-response and preventive outfit. Officials say its mandate is to detect, deter and neutralise criminal intent before it escalates into threats against residents, businesses and visitors.

Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, CSP Adetayo Akerele, said the unit was conceived to plug security gaps exposed by recurring incidents of street crime and disorder. He explained that the team will focus on notorious flashpoints and emerging black spots, using intelligence-led patrols and coordinated enforcement.

According to Akerele, the patrol unit will target a wide spectrum of offences, including drug peddling, the activities of street urchins and area boys, raids on criminal hideouts, one-chance robbery syndicates, environmental offences such as littering, and attacks on government officials on lawful duty. The unit will also move against quack practitioners whose activities endanger public safety.

He stressed that the team is not merely symbolic but structured as a standby force capable of swift deployment to any part of the state. Arrested suspects, he added, will be processed for prosecution to ensure that enforcement translates into tangible deterrence.

Akerele reiterated the task force’s resolve to intensify surveillance and patrols, noting that the agency is under clear instructions to reclaim public spaces from criminal elements. He warned that those intent on perpetrating crime would either abandon such activities or be forced out of the state’s public arena.

The agency underscored that the success of the new patrol unit will depend heavily on public cooperation. Residents were urged to provide timely and credible information on suspicious movements, criminal hideouts and environmental abuses, with assurances that such intelligence would be treated discreetly and acted upon promptly.

Task force officials maintain that the initiative is part of a broader security and environmental strategy aimed at making Lagos safer, cleaner and more orderly. By combining targeted patrols, intelligence gathering and strict enforcement, the new unit is expected to reinforce the state’s security architecture and restore confidence in public spaces.