By The Guardian Editorial Board
The newly-appointed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tunji Disu appears to have started on the right path by inaugurating a committee to examine the framework for state police establishment in the country. It is virtually a given that the single structure of the present force to superintend law enforcement over 200 million Nigerians is not working and requires decentralisation for greater efficiency.
Disu’s appointment as IGP by President Bola Tinubu, following the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun, marks the beginning of another era of leadership of the police that should aim to end the distressing experiences of Nigerians with the police institution and the general dissatisfaction with its performance in recent years.
The performance and public perception of the Nigerian Police are presently very low. More efforts are expended on the detection of crime than on prevention. Morale is low, as responses to distress calls are also low. The force is ill-equipped and so usually reluctant to confront criminals headlong. Visibility of the police is equally low and most of them on checkpoint duties are seemingly more interested in extorting motorists rather than looking for criminals. Police patrols seemed to have totally disappeared, especially at night when many criminals are at work.
Disu, who was an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) before his recent elevation, will need a resolute stance and plenty of luck to reverse this situation and deliver a desirable police force compatible with modern law enforcement globally. A situation where terrorists, kidnappers and other criminals operate most times freely in many parts of the country smirks of poor policing of the country. It is unacceptable. Besides, the Nigerian Police is now tainted by unethical actions of some of its personnel, which can reasonably be said to constitute threats to the safety of the Nigerian society which they are meant to protect. The poor performance and the high level of indiscipline in the force are seen to be partly responsible for the escalation of insecurity in the country today. Disu has an onerous task to change the notion of grossly underperforming police, and he cannot do this by carrying on with business as usual. Nigerians expect nothing less from him.
Frankly, many Nigerians need to be convinced that the police are committed to their constitutional responsibilities and do not exist only for the privileged and wealthy few. Disu should recognise that many of the operations being handled by the military today across the country to ensure internal security are purely police responsibilities. The deployment of military personnel instead by the Federal Government is a confirmation of the crumbling gallantry of the police force, a manifestation of its deficient interior.
Many citizens are now afraid of seeking police intervention in their conflict with other people for fear of intimidation, extortion and the possibility of their matter being made worse. News media have reported cases of police personnel misbehaving due to drunkenness and openly fighting among themselves.
Some dress shabbily and look unkempt. Sometimes, some police personnel are accused of revealing the source of information that led to the arrest of suspects, after allegedly collecting money from such suspects, thereby exposing volunteer informants to threats, bodily injury and even death.
If true, these practices amount to unpardonable betrayal of trust and sabotage of intelligence gathering. Often, some police officers are seen scrambling to escort loaded trucks into cities, including Lagos and Abuja, with scant knowledge of what the vehicles are carrying, some of which could be banned or dangerous products, arms and ammunition, and all for a fee. Their being in such vehicles is to prevent other security operatives from checking the luggage and the particulars of the drivers and the vehicles. All of these have made police officers, and even the force, lose the respect and support of most Nigerians.
Disu has a responsibility to restore the glory of the police for relevance at this time of heartbreaking security challenges. There must be a paradigm shift from the gross inefficiency that Nigerians have seen in recent years. Security is too serious an issue to be carried on with the present casual approach. The IGP must build a strong police force that is well-equipped and make the personnel gallant and proactive in the discharge of their duties. He should deploy them to combat criminal activities in ways that Nigerians can see and appreciate. There is a need to recruit en masse into the force, people who are not criminal-minded and are driven by a genuine desire to make the country safe. There is a need for frequent retraining so that the officers can efficiently and professionally tackle criminal activities, no matter the level of sophistication the criminals assume at any point in time. Police should always be a step ahead of criminals.
Where security personnel are afraid of criminals, the society is doomed.
It is important to ensure discipline in the force. There should be no compromise on this. Bad eggs must be flushed out. Those who reveal sources of intelligence to suspected criminals do great damage to the crucial, highly desired collaboration between the police and members of the public and so must be strictly sanctioned.
Disu should seek better welfare for policemen. A situation where police personnel reportedly buy and sew their uniform by themselves and spend their personal money to take care of some expenses that should be borne by the government does not portray a responsible force, and it could tempt them to indulge in unethical conduct or cut corners that further erode public respect for the law enforcers. Retirement of eligible police officers and payment of their entitlements should be seamless.
Nigerians, including the leaders in the corridors of power, who are interested in the development of the country, should support and work for a strong police force with the capacity to efficiently and promptly deal with all manner of crimes as they surface, so that Nigeria can be safe for all. The leaders must allow the freedom required by the police to do their work according to the dictates of the laws of the land.
Whatever is done to reform the system now should be preparatory to the creation of state police promised to the country by President Tinubu and which is expected to be more efficient in taming the surge in crimes in the country. The IGP should go beyond the committee he set up on state police and ensure that it works in Nigeria.
