The Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar on Wednesday underscored the place of intelligence as a strategic tool in policing.

He spoke at Share, Kwara State during the foundation laying ceremony of the Police Intelligence Institute.

The IGP said he was confident that the PII  would act as catalyst for inter-agency cooperation. He added that it would also engender peer review, and above all strengthen the pathways to the restoration of the lost primacy of the intelligence arm of the force.

Abubakar said intelligence was so critical that  any police department that lacked strong intelligence capacity would not effectively discharge its constitutional mandate.

He added that adequate  intelligence strategy would boost people's confidence in the police on its ability to ensure the protection and security of the society.

The IGP commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the approval of the establishment of the Force Intelligence Bureau.

He  said such a development was a further testimony to  Jonathan's resolve to re-position the police in line with his administrations transformation agenda for Nigeria.

 Abubakar also said that the identification, recruitment, retention, monitoring and exposure of police operatives to international best practices and dynamics of intelligence was a major need.

He also said that   enforcement of operational standards for the unit on a sustainable measure was a worrying decimal due to 'missing links.'