Reforming The Nigerian Police Force.

 By Eddy Ogunbor
Last October 2011, Chairman  Police Service Commission (PSC), Parry Osayande, DIG (rtd) addressed the Senate Committee on Police Affairs. He informed the Committee that "the staff strength of the Nigerian Police stands at 330,000 and 100,000 policemen/women are attached to individuals to be carrying handbags for their wives!! Therefore a police staff strength of 230,000 are left to police over 150 million Nigerians. Are these 150 million Nigerians supposed not to be protected, if only a few individuals are being protected by over 100,000 policemen"? - the Chairman (PSC) queried. (Nigerian Tribune 19, October 2011.
It is also a fact, though not disclosed by the Chairman PSC, that during the period in question, about 100,000 policemen were on road block duties and posted to guard other corporate organisations like Banks and public buildings throughout the nation. The shocking reality therefore is that only 130,000 policemen are left to police and protect over 150 million Nigerians and to perform other constitutional functions of the Police Force. This is frightening!!
The PSC Chairman also highlighted and identified the factors militating against and affecting the performance of the Police Force as follows -
- misuse, misapplication of available resources and lack of accountability, award of bogus contracts including outright diversion and misappropriation of police meagre resources.
- failure to plan and lack of vision.
- corruption assumed great dimenson and seemed to have been institutionalised, as some officers and men who engaged in the practice had been found to collude with and sometimes shield criminals rather than prevent same.
- some police men had been found to facilitate the escape of criminals from lawful custody, obtain money from suspects for closure of case files or to derail the cause of justice, escort contrabands, steal from suspects and accident victims and supply police weapons and uniforms to criminals.
Parry Osayande DIG (rtd), informed the Senate Committee that government had commenced the reformation of the Police Force through the implementation of white paper on the MD Yusuf Presidential Committee on Police reform.However, he noted that not much of its impact had been felt.
The contents of this white paper is not known to the public.
These revealation by the Chairman PSC, is  frightening. Hence the high level of insecurity in the country.

Responding, Senator Abdul Ningi, Deputy Senate Leader, admonished the PSC "to rise up to its responsibilty of repositioning the force, as its function was constitutionally provided and must not be usurped by anybody" (Nigerian Tribune 19, October 2011).

Recently, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) MD Abubakar, took a bold step, ordering the withdrawl of policemen from road block duties from the highways and also withdrwal of  policemen assigned to Very Important Personalities (VIP). This is commendable as the order will go a long way to boost the staff strenght of the police in performing the constitutional roles of the Police Force. It is hoped that these orders will be fully enforced to the letter.
The IGP should also ensure that motorised Highway Patrol unit is re-introduced on our highways to check incidents of highway robberies.

To make the Police Force more efective, efficient, responsive and responsible, the following will be suggested to the IGP as contribution to assist him in repositioning the Force.

1.THE USE OF PRIVATE GUARDS (SPY TRAINED) BY VIPs.
The Nigerian SPY Police, known as the "supernumerary", is a division of the Police Force whose member's careers have been devoted to protecting oil multinationals and other corporate institutions in the Banking sector. These are well trained professionals and highly educated as most are graduates even up to second degree levels. They head the security Departments of these organisations. They are often dressed in police uniforms and some of the times in mufti. They are trained in the use of weapons and licensed to carry arms and ammunition in their course of duty.
It is recommended that VIPs, especially the NASS members, politicians and individuals etc, that can afford the use of SPY police should engage graduates of this police instituton or employ them through registered Security organisations.

2. QUALITY AND STRENGHT OF THE FORCE.
There is no doubt that the quality of the Nigerian Police Force presently is poor. Most Policemen are not able to properly read and write quality statements and records or entries at the front desk at Police stations. Worse is the Investigative Police Officers (IPOs) ability to articulate positions in court in prosecuting offenders or criminals.
This probably is as a result of the nation's falling standard in eduction and the quality of secondary school graduates being produced through the system.
The minimum basic educational entry requirement for recruitment into the force needs urgent review to enhance quality  and efficient policing in the country. The suggestion is that basic educational entry requirements into the police Inspector trainee cadre should be raised to first degree, while the trainee ASP cadre be raised to accept second degree holders.
This will assist the Federal Government in tackling the graduate unemployment problems in the country and by implication reduce youth restiveness and criminality that is prevalent in the community of unemployed graduates. In this aspect, if incidents of criminality is reduced, policing duties will be relatively made easy.Police Academy training in the civilised world is for those with the mental and educational capabilty or preparedness to assimilate such high level security training. The attendant implication is the enhancement of quality, efficiency and respect from the public.
The IGP is not in favour of  state Police. Therefore, the Police force should embark on mass recruitment of atleast 10,000 of such graduates from each of the states including FCT to boost the staff strength of the force, thereby supporting his arguement against state police.

3.ARMING THE POLICE FORCE.
The Federal Government recently set up a Presidential Committee on Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to reposition the industry.. It is hoped that the Police Force is represented in this Committee as member.
DICON from my experience, has the capacity to produce sub machine guns (SMG) using about 80% local content materials as far back as the early 1980s.
The SMG is an assault or combat weapon, easy to handle, operate and light automatic rifle (LAR). It is as effective as the Isreali uzi rifle. Our troops used this as the weapon carried in peace keeping operations in Lebanon.
The SMG was also used by the Nigerian Police Force in 1980 in Kano,to dislodge the Maitastine sect, during President Shehu Shagari government.
What is suggested here is that, the DICON Committee should look into the reactivation of production of the SMG by DICON for the Police Force and para-military services (Customs, Immigration, NSCDC etc) as quality weapons for equiping the Force.
Production will save the country reasonable amount of foreign exchange being expended for importation of other light automatic rifles (LAR) and weapons for the Force.It is hoped that these suggestions are accepted by the Chairman PSC and the IGP for implementation or proposed to the Presidential Committee on DICON.
The need for an improved, effective and efficient Police Force should not be over emphasised. It is hoped that the IGP will write his name in history as the IGP that made the real difference in policing in this country.