The police as a friend

I think poor public opinion and bad press may have done the damage. There is indeed the rather annoying but popular allegation that to donate to the Police is akin to pouring water into a basket because whatever is donated to the Police is usually reportedly converted into personal use by top officers of the […]

I think poor public opinion and bad press may have done the damage. There is indeed the rather annoying but popular allegation that to donate to the Police is akin to pouring water into a basket because whatever is donated to the Police is usually reportedly converted into personal use by top officers of the relevant unit. Thus when I was nominated to be a member of the Kenny Martins-led Police Equipment Fund Committee during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, to decline to serve was not difficult. Was I not the wiser for it?  Interestingly, some of my best friends are Police officers-past and present. Till date for instance, I maintain a wonderful relationship with Alhaji Gambo Jimeta who no doubt was an outstanding Inspector General of Police in his time. Yet, it appears that people like me cannot be easily counted as friends of the Police. It looks ironical but I get consoled by the fact that advocacy for Police enhancement has virtually become a hobby for me. Indeed, there is no topic that has been repeatedly commented upon in this column more than the Police. The posture can be said to be positive in the sense that whereas so much of the ills of the Police are often exposed, how to redress those ills always dominate the larger part of the articles.

A piece titled “The Nigerian Police: A Post-mortem Organization?” published on September 04, 2011 is probably a good example. It did two things. First, it drew attention to ineptitude in the Police particularly their slow response to distress calls. Second, it reminded Nigerians that since our Police had established a reputation for winning laurels in international assignments, we needed to create a similar conducive environment for them to excel at home. This perhaps propelled another article titled “Too Many Cooks in the Police Kitchen” published in this column on February 25, 2012. The article frowned at another set of facts. First, it attacked the existence of too many supervisors for the police – the Police Force itself, the Police Council, the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Police Service Commission. In two years, the Police had four ministers and within a while, more than eight panels were set up to reorganize their organization. It was canvassed strongly that this needed to stop as we were operating like a nation which keeps doing the same thing while expecting different results.

While looking forward to a reversal of all of these, it was shocking to hear of an arrangement by the Police to change their uniform! What could have made the Police to imagine that their most urgent problem was uniform? They even attempted to justify the scheme with an official statement that the new uniform which is cost effective to maintain and operatively durable would carve a new image for the Police. The prediction sounded comical because even if it was revealed by an oracle, the Police ought to have rationalized that their uniforms have changed many times without any change to how they are perceived by the public. At first, I resolved to ignore the Police this time around because a write-up on their uniform business would no doubt adversely affect our already not too impressive friendship. On a second thought, I had no evidence to suggest that the idea was a Police initiative. Of course, anything can happen in our clime. What if the whole business was foisted on government by some highly connected textile contractor? This line of argument makes a whole lot of sense especially when related to the impromptu but well articulated initial comments of the new IGP on his first day in office. He didn’t talk about uniform but manpower development and discipline. On this score, the need to discourage the uniform scheme became an imperative. Indeed, the conviction to speak up on the matter became more compelling following a statement credited to Olusola Amore, the Force Public Relations Officer that the Police was calling “on the general public to come up with constructive criticisms regarding the new Police camouflage for public opinion to be given adequate consideration”

I refused to be discouraged by the feeling that this might turn out to be another IMF Debate in which an officially invited public view may still be in the process of collation well after the crucial stage of decision making has ended. To be discouraged is to despair. On the same ground I vote at every election in Nigeria where an incumbent wins by a wide margin no matter the voting pattern or the low turn-out of voters. So, rather than despair, we must  place on record for posterity to note that some of us made the point that a new set of uniforms irrespective of its nature, type, quality and colour is not in any way the priority of the Nigerian Police. In any case, why would an organization in search of public affection develop a type of uniform to disguise its personnel? The new uniform is thus a misguided priority. Luckily, the new IGP got it right when he canvassed the need to among other things work on Police dilapidated buildings and present a better picture of a typical Police formation. Oh yes, a re-invigorated and beautified organizational premises is not only an institutional statement to the world at large, it also  provokes the creativity of workers and compels them to dress well to a befitting work environment.  Thus, what the Police require is not another set of uniforms which they may again have to wear on bathroom slippers; rather what they require now is proper orientation because golden uniforms can turn to rags if inappropriately employed. In what ways for instance can a new Police uniform carve a better image for the Police if it is worn by pot-bellied officers?

Again what the Police is in dire need of now is not cosmetic matters like change of name from Police Force to Police Service; rather they should be provided with state of the art facilities with which to assimilate best practices in law enforcement. Basic tools for work should also be supplied. As opined in this column last year, a typical police station should no longer be made to demand from complainants, basic implements like pen and paper to record statements. Similarly, they should no longer be made to use magic to fuel and maintain their operational vehicles and equipment. Also worrisome is the abysmally low salary of the Police. whose work is getting more challenging by the day. Our Policemen are part of the extended family system of Nigeria; they pay school fees while their fuel is not differently subsidized. With some people refusing to be friends of the Police, who will bail them out? They certainly cannot count on people like me if change of uniform is their priority.