Solomon Arase, chairperson of the Police Service Commission
(PSC), says the commission will prioritise the welfare of officers to curb
corruption within the force.
Speaking with state house correspondents after he was sworn
in as PSC chairman on Wednesday, Arase said to make police officers diligent
and perform optimally, their welfare must be taken into consideration.
“Well, as an inspector-general of police, the way I looked
at the issue of corruption was to identify it from the source,” Arase said.
“When you tackle issues that are likely to increase the
tendencies to be corrupt, you deal with it. How are you taking care of their
welfare?
“How are you ensuring
that when they retire, they have a decent house to go to? How are you taking
care of their children? Can we organise scholarship schemes for them?
“Can we ensure that when we deploy them, they have the
necessary work equipment? When you respect people who work for you… even your
dogs, when they see you, they will wag their tails.
“So we must take the interest of the Nigerian police
officers into consideration and we’ll douse the issue of corruption.”
‘DISCIPLINE WILL BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY’
Arase said the officers will be made to undergo more
training in order to bridge the trust gap between the force and the public.
“We will be strong in training in various areas, especially
alternative dispute resolution,” he said.
“The issue of discipline will be taken seriously. I will not
want a situation where civil situations arise. So any officer who steps out of
the line, there will be consequences. But at the same time, they are my
colleagues and children. So I’m going to make sure that I sharpen their skills.
“I’ll ensure that they start having confidence in
themselves. With more training, the trust gap between members of the public and
the police will be bridged. That is what I want to do; that members of the
public will collaborate with the police force, and see them as part of the
larger society.
“The benefits that
are derivable from good conduct as a police officer, they will continue to reap
it when they retire. So that is what I will emphasise.”
On steps to improve the relationship between the commission
and the police, Arase said: “If you look at the calibre of people you have in
the commission, then you also look at the professional skills of the police
management team, there is no way that there won’t be occasional issues.
“What I think we should do is that each of the parties
should not learn to take everything. There must be negotiation, empathy, and
respect for each of our roles.
“I will expect that the commission allows the IGP to
exercise his operational control over the police. And that the IG himself will
respect the constitutional powers of the PSC. So, there must be mutual respect
between both parties. I don’t foresee any crisis at all.”
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