National Security Summit and community policing 1

BY OUR REPORTER ON AUGUST 

THE National Security Sum­mit hosted by Nigeria Police and The Sun Publishing Lim­ited, publishers of The Sun newspapers, in Abuja on Au­gust 17, is perhaps, the most important conference held on Nigeria’s security, safety and policing this year. It had the theme: “The Community Partnership Approach to In­ternal Security and Crime Management.”

The summit attracted all rel­evant stakeholders, from the top brass of the Police and the country’s political leaders, to pre-eminent traditional rulers and the academia. It champi­oned community policing as a panacea to the problem of in­security in the country.

President Muhammadu Bu­hari utilised the opportunity of the summit to announce the government’s intention to recruit 10,000 fresh police of­ficers and to establish a well-trained and equipped Anti-ter­rorism and Multi-agency Task Force, to address the challenge of insurgency in the country. He promised to enhance the operational capacity of the nation’s policemen through a training programme that would give them a civil ori­entation, to enable them per­form their roles as guardians of the Nigerian Constitution effectively.

THE summit was timely and successful in raising not only the awareness that security should be the concern of all citizens, but in also proposing far-reaching recommendations for the enhancement of security and effective policing of Nigeria. Indeed, in a communiqué issued at the end of the conference, it was acknowledged that there was a need to bridge the gap and restore trust between the Police and Nigerian communities, and to motivate citizens – traditional institutions, youth organisations, the media, military and paramilitary organisations and non-governmental organisations – to see security as a collective responsibility.

Noting that the scope and sophistica­tion of crime have increased phenom­enally, the summit harped on the need to modernise the operations of the Po­lice and bridge the gap in crime man­agement and national security. It also encouraged the Federal Government in its efforts to recover stolen public funds and to bring the culprits to jus­tice in a fair trial.

The communiqué emphasized that every citizen should be part of polic­ing and must see the Police as a part­ner. It also suggested a reform of the criminal justice system, better funding of the Police, provision of requisite infrastructure and an effective train­ing regime to increase the capacity of policemen. To ensure the indepen­dence, continuity and stability of the Police system, the summit highlighted the need for Inspectors-General of Po­lice to have security of their tenures. The conference also regretted the non-implementation of recommendations made in the past to improve the secu­rity of the country.

The media were urged to help sensi­tise citizens to fulfill their responsibil­ities in managing the country’s securi­ty. They were also asked to co-operate with the police in the dissemination of information. Participants were unani­mous that the government at all levels must address the basic needs of the citizenry to reduce crime.

We congratulate all the participants and urge them to work towards the im­plementation of the recommendations of the communiqué. The Nigeria Po­lice needs a major boost. But, we think that the planned recruitment of 10,000 new policemen disclosed by President Buhari should be considered as just a start. The Force is regularly depleted for various reasons, mostly owing to the poor welfare and difficult service conditions.

We think it is time to institute a qualitative upgrade of the Force, which should begin from the next re­cruitment. The time has come for the Police to institute post-secondary ed­ucation, not below the Ordinary Na­tional Diploma (OND) or the Nation­al Certificate of Education (NCE), as a minimum qualification for recruit­ment.

In terms of numbers, we suggest a definite aim at the United Nations ratio which is 222 police officers to 100,000 citizens. We cannot over-em­phasise the ‘quality’ factor. Recruits should be individuals from responsi­ble homes who have no crime records. They must be physically and morally fit. The self-esteem and public image of the Police must be raised. Welfare of policemen must be reviewed. Their kits, including uniforms and boots, must be provided. Field allowances must be paid as due, and the issue of promotions given active consider­ation.

The renewed focus on community policing is good. All over the world, it is considered more effective, but it seems to work better in a situation where command is decentralised.

The Police need help in various ways. They need better training in handling firearms, in dealing with fellow citizens, in the use of force, in dealing with the rule of law. They need to be motivated. We urge the Federal Government to address these needs.

Let the police and other stakehold­ers in the nation’s security rise up to implement the recommendations of the 2015 National Security Summit. We congratulate IGP Arase on the success of the conference and hope that it will be the beginning of a posi­tive turn-around for the Nigeria Po­lice.