Police is your friend- that four word slogan is as old as the Nigeria Police Force.
It is a slogan which though is a four word eye- catching phrase designed to attract the public and even catch the fancy of little children some of who must have adored the uniform as the people of my generation did has gone through different interpretations and assessment over the years.
To say that the have since almost outlived its calling by a lot of development which have turned the force from being a service it is intended to be to a force of occupation driving contempt, anger and terror to the citizenry.
Indeed ,it is not too far to say that the Endsars protest embarked upon by the youths in 2021,is a cumulative effects of the anger and discontent which their parents have harboured over the years but which a little trigger by the youths ignited revolt which changed the narratives regarding the use of absolute force by the Special Anti Robbery Squad,SARS which activity over the years drew fear and trepidation into upcoming youths as the decadence in it has turned it into an agent of repression, oppression and intimidation of the youths, killing; maiming and depriving them of their live though its action which fell far short of its sweet slogan.
Hence,when last week Wednesday, the Inspector General of Police ,Alkali Baba, summoned u courage and invited his predecessors and members of the Police Service Commission to its office in Abuja to brainstorm and profer solutions to arresting the decay and helping the police force realise its core mandate through re-engineering, it is a welcome idea and an idea whose time has come.
It is never too late in the day for any organisation to rethink its modus operandi.
But, whether the gathering of the present and former top echelon of the police will achieve its aims will be determined by a lot of factors put in place by both the Force and the in- coming government which Baba must have had in mind in assembling the group. That he has decided to put the group together is also an indication that like any other organisation, the IG is aware of the need to do self examination in the light of daunting challenges of the society caused by multi-various factors of decaying economy; morals and hopelessness which had made the ordinary citizen thinking that cutting corners through which crimes are committed is the only escape route out of the grinding poverty and societal disorder which has stretched the limits of the force itself as its men and women have become part of the problem they were created to solve.
The presence and assemblage of men like the former IG Solomon Arase,Mike Okiro,Ehindero must come out and tell the IG and the new government whether the police force we have today is enough, capable, equipped in training ,doctrine and orientation to address the increasing decay in its members, who are charged with doing same in the larger society through which tax they are sustained and kept as an instrument of state.
Today, a visit to the training college of the Police which exposure via a documentary by the Channels Television during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan, prompted a rehabilitation of the Ikeja Police College will tell you and answer the question whether in phsycology, emotional intelligence mind-set and capacity the men and women produced by this moribound and ill equipped institute can adequately face the challenges of today they are supposed to handle. Since the mind is the fountain of knowledge and activity,and since you cannot give what you don’t have, the environment and content of training is a function of the performance of the men and women.
Are the various police colleges equipped enough to provide the law enforcement agents the mind, emotional capacity composure, capacity and character to address issues they are recruited to solve from the same society which berthed them ?.
In other words,can the police trained in such conditions really give what they dont have.?
The police henchmen are also expected to carry out findings which will show whether or not the men and women are happy doing their jobs or are just there to earn a living?
In those days of yore recruitment into the police are done with the real knowledge of the family background, history of the recruits before they are giving the uniform. Today,such considerations like the family, upbringing are less considered as the behaviour of men and women is a direct reflection of where they are coming from.
Should somebody from a troubled home background with its emotional intelligence draw be giving the sacred uniform which in those days command fear and respect from all and sundry.
Should a police officer posted to check-points knowingly and audaciously point guns at youths and citizens at the slightest opportunity? Is it a function of a deranged or stable mind.
Is the strength and paucity of the police force we have today enough to address and properly police the country of two hundred million people. Considering the multi-ethnic nature and population of the country, is it reasonable for the country to have only a layer of policing both in terms of recruitment, training and control.
Yes, issues of state policing have been in the front burner of public discourse for years but have the inadequacy of the force in terms of men and material being taken into consideration in allowing states to have police when the federal government itself could not adequately equip the force.
Today, most of the operational vehicles used by the police are provided by the same states which critics believe could not adequately fund and run a police force.
The Arase group should establish a nexus between previous funding of the force and tell the in coming government why a force could in the 60s and 70s when petrol dollar is available could reasonably fund its operations while the story is different today.
What is the position of corruption in the force and how has it affected the recruit, equipment, morale and efficiency of the force?
Only a holistic review of the role and state of the police on the above can serve and give meaning to the assemblage of the men of the old order who must have had varied experiences while they were in the service.
Except there is a deliberate and sustained change in the running and operations of the Police and other services can there be a different result to the improvement of their role in the society.
This is the challenge before the President -elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has over the years been a proponent of need to establish state police in the country. He will also draw from the experience of the former chiefs in fashioning a functioning police system on all fronts and layers for an effective policing system.
