Still On State Police

Recently, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad
Abubakar III and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko re-echoed the call for the creation of State police in the country to tackle the current security challenges in parts of the nation. The two leaders who spoke in Sokoto when the former, paid the  traditional Sallah homage to the governor, said  the creation of State police  would help reduce the difficulties currently faced  by federal  policemen often deployed to states other than theirs.
It would be recalled that the recently concluded National Conference, in its report, recommended the creation of State police to complement the duties of Nigeria Police Force in the  country. The approval was sequel to the adoption of report of the Committee on National Security on June 26,2014. The report, however, made it optional that any state desiring state police could do so, because  the issue of state police may not have been accepted by all States and the people. When the issue first  came up, a section of the people did not support it.
That was why a member of the confab, Ann Kio Briggs, from Rivers State opined that people should  be  able to police their areas against terrorism, adding that desiring states were free to set up their  own police, especially in states where militancy, cultism, terrorism and other crime-related activities thrive. Ekiti  State Governor, Ayo Fayose in his opinion, said that if the state police recommendation goes through, governors would abuse it.
The truth of the matter is that Nigeria needs to have effective policing. The society will benefit from an integrated  police force. An efficient policing  is one that  gives the government and people of the state the greatest security at the least cost.
State or community policing is a philosophy aimed at partnering with the state  or community to ensure security. Where there is properly armed and regulated  state police, there will be effective maintenance of law and order in the local and major cities to complement the federal police force, who are in-charge of federal laws. There are myriads of security problems and crimes that come up from day to day.
State police are expected to conduct high-level of policing through information gathering  and arrest of law offenders. Spying operations and intelligence gathering to be able to detect and check violent actions such as bombings and kidnappings must be integrated in their training if state police are created.
State police are a very interesting development. All countries practicing democracies have state police. In Australia, for example, state police are answerable to state, and federal for federal issues. America also has the state police that is properly organised, trained and  financed to function effectively.
State police has become critically important to Nigeria. That they do not directly involve in military action does not mean that it is purely cooperative or compromising. They must be fully armed to be able to rid the states and communities of crime.
State police have crucial roles to play in the criminal code system Sharia, State, federal and court system who handles  accused cases, including the judiciary role. In terms  of democratic control over State police, all Houses of Assembly and governors have their roles to play while  there can be federal presence to take care of federal cases. The officers and men of state police should be well trained on different areas, to cover different shades of interest while ensuring the inclusion  of experts in the system.
As the creation of state police becomes imperative at this critical time, government must ensure the need to reflect the areas they operate as the federal character ensures that all communities are represented in the police but should not be ethnicised.
State governors should not be allowed to hijack the state police and should not involve  in  the running of police commands in their state, despite the fact that they will fund the police. There should not be any monetisaton of a special protection unit of the state or federal police which  seen to privatise security. In the same vein, a compulsory life insurance for all armed security personnel, including  the state police, is necessary.
Considering the rate of crime in parts of the country, we don’t need to wait until the state governors are ready before state police are established. The governors should do their  statutory  responsibility because Nigeria is the only country operating Federation without state  police. Governors as chief security  officers of their states must ensure the security of lives and property of their people, just as the police must be made to exhibit  maximum discipline and honesty in discharge of their  duties.

Shedie Okpara