Community Policing: Make yourselves accessible for effectiveness – IGP tasks CPs, Zonal AIGs
By Anthony Okafor
Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu has admonished Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police and States Police Commissioners to endeavour to win back public confidence by making themselves accessible as this is the only way the community policing strategy will work.
Addressing AIGs and CPs at a one day re-engineering workshop on Public Relations in Abuja on Thursday, the IGP said “A lot of us have to re-orientate ourselves and our attitude especially to the public. As Police officers, you must endeavour to pick all calls, even if it is anonymous because that particular call can save a life or lives”.
Represented by the Deputy Inspector General in charge of Research and Development, DIG Peter Babatunde Ogunyanwo, the IGP said, “Many of us, when we are at our office behave like thin gods. We don’t answer calls and some times, we ask, how did you get my number? But you forget that you are a police officer, you are there to serve the people and your number is for the public ”.
“We are supposed to be the servants and not the bosses. We cannot work in isolation. We need the public to supply us information about criminals and their nefarious activities but there has to be public confidence.
“It is even the public that will fight for provision of more and better equipment, as well as improved welfare for us if they are happy and satisfied with our work. So out attitude must be in sync with community public trust and confidence.
Earlier, the Provost, Police Public Relations School, Lafia, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (rtd) said, “The workshop for Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commissioners of Police is specially designed to bring the top police managers up to speed on the nitty-gritty of public relations , particularly the demands of ‘our fast’ paced global community on policing”.
“There is no doubt that police conduct impacts heavily on the public, being the foremost and largest law enforcement organization in Nigeria. The day to day operations of police officers, particularly those in actual theatre of policing, are always in the news, both good and ill, thus translating to the image and reputation of the force.
“It is germane that top manager of the police especially at strategic level, need special skills to deal with the fallouts of the activities of their subordinates”.
