The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, yesterday, in Abuja, outlined reforms towards delivering a modern Nigerian Police Force with the launch of a new rule of engagement and the announcement that he has placed an order for tasers or stun guns, to reduce killings of suspects.
Special trainings, he said, have also been lined up for special units of the force such as Police Mobile Force, Special Forces, counter-terrorism unit, anti-robbery detachments, anti-kidnapping squads and criminal investigation operatives.
The reforms were unfolded before the elite of the force at a conference of senior officers in Abuja.
After cataloguing the successes achieved between August and yesterday in curbing crimes and the arrests of 1,151 suspects, 470 of whom are for robbery and 216 kidnapping suspects, Adamu said the force must be seen to be doing its work “within the dictates of rule of law, uncompromising respect for human rights, and best global policing practices”.
He also said the force must adopt less-lethal approaches and equipment in its policing duties ensuring “that the sacred lives of the citizens whom we swore to serve and protect are not endangered in the line of our duties.
“It is in furtherance to this that I initiated actions towards the acquisition and deployment of electro-muscular disruption technology-based weaponry which is commonly known as taser or stun guns for low-risk police operations. This is with the intention of addressing public concerns on misuse of firearms by the police with its attendant consequences on lives and effect on the attainment of our community policing vision.
“In addition, special trainings are being organised for the Special Units of the Police including the Police Mobile Force, Special Forces, Counter-Terrorism Unit, Anti-Robbery detachments, Anti-Kidnapping Squads and the Criminal Investigation Operatives. This is with the intention of equipping them with the right orientation for policing in the 21st Century and to align their operations within the expectations of the law and the citizens.
“In order to situate our vision in this regard to the standards of democratic policing, which is hinged on the protection of fundamental human rights, it is considered expedient that Force Order 237 which defines our Rules of Engagement (RoE) be reviewed, standardised and simplified.
“I am delighted to announce that with the support of our local and internal partners, we have successfully completed the process of reviewing the document and today, we shall be formally launching the Revised Force Order 237 (RFO) which is not only comprehensive and modernised but simplified for ease of comprehension by all members of the Force. The launch of the first 2,000 copies of the document will be undertaken in the course of this meeting.
“We are immensely grateful to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Swiss Government, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and AIG Austin Iwar (rtd), among others, who collaborated with the Nigeria Police towards achieving this feat.
The full speech reads, “I am delighted to welcome you all to the monthly conference of strategic police managers drawn from the 12 Zonal Police Commands, the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT. The constant engagement of senior police officers occupying strategic administrative and operational portfolios across the country has been one of my management traditions.
“It is my firm belief that, in doing this, we shall be able to jointly re-evaluate the internal security outline of the country with a view to assessing which strategies have produced desired outcomes and those that need to be tinkered with to meet national policing requirements.
“I am again pleased to note that the national crime profile of the country continues to decline in relation to the previous quarters. This trend is indicative of the effectiveness of our policing strategies which are based on community partnership practices, application of cutting-edge policing technologies and crime management solutions, the engagement and integration of intelligence-led policing standards to our functions at all operational and investigative levels, and an enhanced inter-agency collaboration orientation.
“In furtherance to these, the trust gap between the citizens and the police have been significantly narrowed and the bond to fight and reclaim our communities from the criminals who are our common enemies has been strengthened. In addition, the commitment and capacity of the Nigeria Police to re-dominate the public space and deny criminals the liberty to manifest their heinous crimes has been appreciably boosted.
“In consequence, between August, 2019 and now, a total of 1,151 high profile suspects have been arrested nationwide. This includes 470 armed robbery suspects; 216 kidnap suspects; 335 suspected cultists, and 130 murder suspects.
“Furthermore, 228 firearms of various descriptions and calibre were recovered in various police operations across the country within the same period. Aside this, 231 kidnapped victims have been safely rescued and reunited with their families, while 75 stolen vehicles were also recovered from criminal elements.
“We are challenged by these achievements to sustain our tempo. This calls for constant re-evaluation of the dynamics of crime and the re-alignment of our strategies accordingly. In so doing, I am to note that there are still some security challenges which currently require our professional attention and which will constitute part of our discourse during this conference. In this context, I encourage you all not to relent, but to roll up your sleeves with renewed vigour in the fight against crimes in the country.