:::COMMUNITY POLICING IN NIGERIA:::

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Policing in Local Law Enforcement: A Commitment to Getting Out-of-the-Car

By Steve Dye, Assistant Chief of Police, Garland, Texas, Police Department

olice technology must serve the community and advance the mission of community policing, not merely make internal processes more efficient. Community policing is most effective and most sustainable when meaningful partnerships develop between police departments and the community. The development of partnerships and collaborative efforts are largely dependent on officers and administrators who connect with residents through personal interaction. By stopping the car and getting out and speaking with people, officers can connect with the public, identify problems more quickly, and forge stronger partnerships. In spite of the growing list of duties of patrol officers, the surge of technological advancements in law enforcement, and the arrival of a new generation of technologically proficient officers, it is imperative that personal connections between officers and the people they serve remain at the forefront of departmental expectations, training efforts, and policies.

Cars Reshape Patrols and Priorities

In the early 1800s, policing experienced a shift from the omnipresent centralized systems to the formation of London's Metropolitan Police Force, widely considered the first modern police department. The decentralized force delivered services by focusing on specific problems in specific geographical areas. Sir Robert Peel’s main principle—“The police are the public and the public are the police”—highlighted the importance of connecting with the people served. American policing followed this English model and the early foot patrols relied heavily on interaction with citizens and familiarity with the patrol area. But after the automobile was introduced into policing, departments enlarged geographical areas, turned their attention to reducing response times, and generally adopted a more reactive and enforcement-driven approach. The civil unrest of the 1960s and 1970s demonstrated that although policing efficiency may have increased, an important connection between many officers and the communities they served had been lost.

Emergence of Community Policing

By the 1980s, dissatisfaction with the effects of this diminishing interpersonal contact between the police and the public led to the birth of community policing and a renewed focus on community interaction and partnerships. The realization started to take hold that policing could not survive on mere efficiency of operations, and a return to connecting with the community, at all levels, was necessary for effective crime prevention, problem identification, and collaborative, innovative problem solving.
Initially, the moniker community policing was misconstrued as “soft policing” by some officers and agencies who believed that responsibly aggressive enforcement could not be a part of community policing. However, most departments now understand that the best practices in policing must be community based and that community policing is at its best when it is the philosophy of an agency and not merely a set of programs.
Furthermore, community policing is a comprehensive approach that incorporates problem identification and mutual problem solving with the use of real-time crime data and appropriate proactive enforcement strategies. The commitment to community policing must start with the head of the agency and be engrained in the mind-set of officers throughout the department. By creating community partnerships that result in collaboration, departments have been able to construct effective preventive measures and comprehensive tactics to lower crime rates and make neighborhoods safer.
One of the primary components of both community policing and crime reduction is the personal connection between officers and residents, business owners, civic groups, and community visitors, to name a few. These relationships are often initiated through officers’ observations, which is why it is so critical that officers are familiar with their beats and constantly scan their work environments for anomalies or variances. Ongoing interaction then becomes crucial in strengthening these ties with the citizenry.

Community Policing Challenges
The patrol officer’s job is much more complex and challenging than ever before. Society is demanding, more than ever, that police officers be immediate problem solvers. Public expectations have continued to push police officers’ roles beyond crime prevention, response, enforcement, and problem solving and into such areas as mental health care, assumption of parental duties, and monitoring adjudicated offenders. Local law enforcement has been intricately involved in homeland security issues, which has resulted in an increased emphasis on critical infrastructure security. Finally, local law enforcement agencies have recently taken on additional responsibilities regarding immigration management and enforcement.
These supplemental duties often fall to local agencies when no one else is available or able to accomplish the mission. It is imperative that department leaders address these current challenges while implementing, developing, and reinforcing clear departmental expectations and policies committed to a community policing philosophy through partnerships and collaboration with the public.
Historically, one of the major obstacles in establishing lasting community partnerships has been overcoming the perception that the police alone are responsible for the implementation of community programs and entirely accountable for the results. Department administrators must continually work to instill the mind-set among their officers that police forces cannot achieve success without encouraging the community to be an active participant in prevention, problem identification, problem solving, and evaluations of effectiveness.

What Can Police Do to Foster Connection and Collaboration?
At times, reaching the departmental goal of full acceptance of a community policing approach involves changing a police culture based on traditional enforcement methods. But what does that require?
For starters, chiefs must encourage external involvement and the creation of active and meaningful partnerships that allow for substantive community engagement. These joint efforts should be educational in the sense that both the police and the public understand that each group has certain roles and responsibilities and that safe neighborhoods cannot thrive without active participation from both community stakeholders and police employees.
The community and the police agencies must share accountability for results, and the community must contribute to innovative community policing tactics. Police departments and community members must jointly evaluate the effectiveness of community policing efforts, reexamine approaches when necessary, and share in successes when positive results are achieved.
Traditional organizational structures need to be reviewed and changed as necessary so that departmental processes improve communication between the public and the department. Performance evaluations must be tailored toward community policing practices and involve the measurement of outcomes as opposed to outputs, including some form of community input to fully gauge officer-community involvement.
A failure to fully commit to collaboration and partnerships can result in ineffective problem solving, a lack of community support, and minimal involvement with the community. Conversely, proactively managing and addressing community policing challenges by allowing and encouraging officers to get out into the neighborhoods will culminate in an increased level of trust and a more focused philosophy that retains relevancy to current community issues.

Over Reliance on Technology Can Keep Officers in Their Cars

New police technology, much of it installed in patrol cars and much of it useful, has added to the complexity of a patrol officer’s job and created a new challenge for administrators who embrace the community policing mission.
Whereas the inside of a police car previously contained a radio and maybe a high-tech office. Many patrol officers receive their calls through in-car computers and enter their reports electronically while monitoring cell phones, speed enforcement technology, and automated license plate readers. No longer is the task of a patrol officer as simple as responding to calls over the radio, completing simple handwritten reports, and looking out the window for suspicious activity or circumstances. Technological proficiency is now an expectation in law enforcement just as much as physical fitness and sound decision-making skills.
Technology overall has given officers new tools for accomplishing community policing objectives, but it has not come without a certain degree of consternation for some veteran officers. Many of these officers did not grow up around an immense amount of technology and worked in law enforcement before law enforcement embraced computers. This lack of familiarity means that they sometime spend too much time focused on the technology while performing police operations. Many officers still working the streets today were trained at a time when most of their daily activity was generated through personal observations and contacts and knowing every detail of their assigned areas of the community.
By contrast, many younger officers grew up making technology a part of their education and their hobbies. They are proficient computer users, but they are vulnerable to becoming driven by the receipt of electronic information instead of generating activity through observations and community interaction. And a reliance on technology has, at times, lessened the development of people skills for some younger officers.
Regardless of an officer’s familiarity with technology or his or her level of expertise, it is clear that technology consumes a great deal of officers’ attention as they work the streets each day. This technological time consumption is important to monitor as it may have a tendency to take away from proactive community policing activities in the form of personal contacts and observations.

Administrators Must Watch Out for Technology That Isolates Officers
There is no doubt that technological advancements have aided responsiveness in policing and allowed personnel to address problems and trends more quickly and efficiently. At the same time, police administrators must carefully scrutinize each new technology to ensure that it increases efficiency in terms of serving the community, creating a safer environment, and accomplishing community policing goals.
Upon reviewing any new technology, police leaders should ask themselves whether it will actually help officers do their job or only expedite the administrative processes. While making the internal processes more efficient, it must also enable the officers to use their time effectively contacting the public.
Technology should not move officers away from the interpersonal contact with the community that is vital to developing collaborative partnerships and solving neighborhood problems. Departments need to train officers to use technology as a tool and not to rely on it to the point that they lose focus on getting out of their patrol cars and interacting with the community.
Technology has demonstrated that it can enhance community policing efforts through timely electronic notifications regarding crime trends, alerts, and police-community meetings and events. Online offense reporting can free up more discretionary time that can be used for face-to-face community interaction and attacking the root causes of crime and disorder, while electronic interaction with the public can expedite measures to prevent offenses from occurring.
But departmental leaders must be mindful not to allow technology and technology-savvy young officers to remove the interpersonal communication aspect from police work that is so vital to community policing. Departmental expectations, policies, and training programs must be designed and monitored to ensure that technology does not lead to any of the same isolation problems with the public that were experienced with the introduction of the automobile into policing. Departmental missions and the training of officers must continue to focus on partnerships and the use of technology to supplement these human interfaces and not become a substitute for getting out of the car. A reliance on technology can perhaps lead to complacency, reduce familiarity with surroundings, and limit opportunities to talk with residents.
The input of useful information starts with human interactions, and a balance must exist between the use of technology and the retention of people skills. Training programs must continue to emphasize the importance of proactive field work and the delivery of effective community policing. An emphasis must be placed on preventing officers from becoming accustomed to “watching the box” and being driven primarily by information received on their mobile data computers.

Retaining Community Focus
The culmination of additional responsibilities for police officers, misconceptions of community policing, a newer generation of officer that is more technology based, and an increased emphasis on in-car technology in policing can easily contribute to a decrease in time spent outside the patrol car and interacting with the community. As a result, police administrators must remain attentive to any factor that is keeping officers from getting out of the patrol car and speaking with people.
A continuous review of departmental practices and priorities must occur in order to keep everyone focused on community interaction. Although community partnerships and collaborations are alive and well in many police departments and law enforcement initiatives, a continued emphasis must be placed on constant community contact at the street level. If a police culture of minimized citizen interaction is developing, then departments must reiterate the importance of continuing to train officers, in both the academy and the field, to engage in effective community policing through personal observations and contacts while employing technology to supplement these endeavors.
Police administrators should take note as they pass a squad car on the street and see how often an officer is able to make eye contact with them as opposed to being focused on some piece of technology or talking on the cell phone. Police leaders should carefully review technology to ensure that only the technology that facilitates a patrol officer’s core tasks of community policing are installed in squad cars—as opposed to technology that results only in benefiting administrative processes. Officers must be continually encouraged to interact with the community, and their tasks and processes must be structured to achieve this objective. Performance evaluations and departmental expectations must align with the principles of community policing and effectiveness measured through outcomes of innovative problem solving and collaboration rather than quantitative outputs. As Sir Robert said years ago, “The police are the public and the public are the police,” and it will always be so.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Amount:
From:
To:

Currency conversion powered by coinmill.com

Friday, June 7, 2013

NIGERIA POLICE FORCE INTENSIFIES EFFORTS AT COMBATING TERRORISM.

***Deploys Peace Keepers to Mali
***IGP urges contingent to be worthy Ambassadors.

As part of efforts by the Nigerian Government to strengthen its on-slaught against domestic and global terrorism and help in restoring peace in troubled parts of Africa, the Nigeria Police Force has concluded plans to deploy a Formed Police Unit of One Hundred and Forty (140) Officers and men to Mali, in support of the ECOWAS and the African Union-led Peace Initiatives in Mali. The Unit, comprised of specialized sections trained in riot control and counter-terrorism; and equipped with modern crime fighting and peacekeeping equipment, will depart Nigeria on 10th June, 2013. The Nigeria Police currently has seven (7) Staff Officers already deployed to Mali, led by DCP Subair O. Kamar who is the Deputy Police Commissioner in-charge of the African Mission in Mali.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni, performed the official Flag Presentation Ceremony today, 7th June, 2013, at the Force Headquarters Parade ground, Louis Edet House, Abuja. The ceremony witnessed the symbolic handing over to the Commander of the Unit, the Nigerian national flag and the Nigeria Police flag, as symbols of authority to empower members of the Unit to represent the Nation and the Nigeria Police Force in the Mission in Mali.

The Nigeria Police contingent, designed to be self sustaining, is deployed with full complement of Contingent Owned Equipment (COE) including Patrol Vehicles, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), arms and ammunitions. The contingent is also travelling with a team of Medical Doctors and Nurses, Ambulances, drugs, first aid kits and other medical equipment. To further boost the morale of the Contingent and enable its members ensure the welfare of their dependants before departure, the IGP has approved and directed the advance payment of one month allowance to every member of the Formed Police Unit to Mali.

Addressing the contingent members, the IGP charged them to display at all times, dedication and true commitment in the discharge of assigned roles. He urged them to be good ambassadors, not just of the Nigeria Police Force, but also of the Nigerian nation and must therefore, fly the country’s flag with pride. He advised members of the contingent to conduct themselves with the highest degree of discipline and professionalism; and shun all forms of vices. The IGP enjoined them to respect the laws and customs of their host country and endeavour to bring honours through exemplary service to humanity, to their fatherland and to themselves.

The IGP further reminded the Officers that the Nigeria Police has created and maintained an outstanding record of good performance in the Mission fields, including a recent commendation given to Nigeria Police peace keepers in Somalia by the African Union Commission, for its level of professionalism and operational efficiency. He recalled that the Nigeria Formed Police Unit was the first to be deployed to Guinea Bissau where it ensured security and helped in restoring law and order in that country.

The present deployment to Mali brings to Ten (10) the number of countries Nigeria Police officers are currently serving on international peace keeping assignment. The other nine (9) countries are Cote D’voire, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

Dignitaries who witnessed the Flag Presentation ceremony included the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the African Union and Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, who was the Special guest of Honour, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) represented by Major General HA Saliu, members of the diplomatic community and members of the Police Management Team and other invited guests.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

IGP Salutes Nigerians on Democracy Day

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni, on behalf of the entire officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, heartily felicitates with the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,GCFR, the Government and people of Nigeria, as the nation marks its 14thYear of unbroken democracy on 29th May, 2013.

Meanwhile, to ensure a secure, peaceful and hitch-free nation-wide anniversary celebration, the IGP has directed all Zonal AIGs and State Command Commissioners of Police to ensure an effective and efficient deployment of all operational manpower and tools at the disposal of their respective Commands. He has further directed the AIG Border Patrol to ensure that the nation’s borders are effectively manned to prevent any cross-border crime. The AIG Air-Wing has also been directed to provide aerial patrol for the FCT and other States.

While saluting the courage and gallantry of officers and men of the Force, in protecting the nation’s thriving democracy, the IGP charges Police personnel to continue to subordinate themselves to civil authority and give maximum respect to the fundamental rights of the citizenry. He advises officers to remain politically neutral and steer clear of partisan politics in line with the professional ethics of the Force. He warns that officers found meddling in local politics within or outside their areas of jurisdiction will be appropriately sanctioned.

The IGP equally pledges the unalloyed loyalty of the Nigeria Police Force to the Government and people of Nigeria. He promises that the Force will continue to do everything within its power and available resources, including partnering with relevant stakeholders, to effectively discharge its constitutional and statutory responsibilities of securing lives and property of Nigerians, even in the face of current security challenges and the huge price involved. He restates the commitment of the current Police Administration to reposition the Force for greater efficiency, and calls for the cooperation of all citizens in these regards.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Nigeria police Force Redeploys Eleven (11) Commissioners of Police

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni, has ordered the redeployment of eleven (11) Commissioners of Police (CPs) to Commands and Formations. The IGP’s order followed the recent elevation of some senior officers to the rank of Commissioners of Police and the retirement of some Commissioners of Police in State Commands and Police Formations.

The newly redeployed CPs have been charged to show commitment in the fight against crime and criminality in the respective new beats. They are to ensure that they work cordially with the public and to serve as motivation to their subordinate officers in the discharge of their onerous responsibilities.

The IGP has also directed the CPs to be mindful of the fundamental rights of the citizenry and ensure that complaints are promptly attended to avoid the miscarriage of justice. He further directed all effected officers to ensure that handing and taking - over exercises are completed as when due.

The redeployment exercise is as contained in the table below:

S/No	NAME OF COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE	POSTING
1	CP AGBOOLA OSHODI-GLOVER	CP KWARA
2	CP ABUBAKAR ADAMU MOHAMMED	CP ENUGU
3	CP TONYE EBIYE EBITIBITUWA	CP BAYELSA
4	CP UMARU SHEHU	CP NASARAWA
5	Ag/CP HURDI D. MOHAMMED	CP KATSINA
6	CP SYLVESTER UMEH	CP PAP, Eastern Port
7	CP KUDU NMA	CP GOMBE
8	CP USMAN ISA BABA	CP COOPERATIVE
9	CP SAIDU MADAWAKI	CP BORDER PATROL
10	CP USMAN YAKABU	CP WELFARE,’A’ FHQ
11	CP ABDULMAJID ALI	CP EOD ‘B’ DEPT, FHQ.

Officers postings take immediate effect.

Update on Nasarawa Killings

As part of efforts at encouraging a wider and communal participation in the investigation into the recent killing of Police men in Nasarawa State, the Police High Command has established a dedicated telephone line for members of the public who may wish to provide vital and useful information to the Police. To this effect, the IGP appeals to Nigerians who may be in possession of information that could aid on – going investigation not to hesitate in providing same to the Police, promising that all such information will be treated with utmost confidentiality. Such information can be provided via phone number 07066228200 (calls or SMS) or email: Policemonitor@Npf.Gov.Ng. The IGP reminded the public that an attack on the security Forces of any nation is an attack on the entire nation. He therefore appeals to Nigerians to support the Police as it strives to tackle this and other security challenges facing the nation.

Meanwhile, in a bid to ameliorate the plight of the dependants and family members of the fallen police officers, the IGP has ordered the immediate relocation of the Force Welfare Officer, DCP Abiodun Ige from Force Headquarters to Nasarawa State to enable her effectively and speedily coordinate all welfare related issues touching on the families of the late officers, including but not limited to the payment of all statutory and relevant compensations.

The IGP appeals for patience and understanding of family and friends of the slain officers, particularly as it relates to the issue of the release of the bodies of the officers, promising that all corpses will be released as soon as preliminary enquiries are concluded.

While restating the commitment of the Force to uncover and bring to book the perpetrators of this crime, the IGP reassures the family members and friends of the deceased that the Force is united with them in grief and will neither forsake nor abandon them at this trying moment.

Meanwhile, the AIG in charge of Zone 4 (covering Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States) AIG Mike Zuokumor has on the orders of the IGP relocated to Nasarawa State. A highly experienced and an operationally-minded officer, he is currently coordinating all ongoing operations relating to the incident.

Nigeria Police Repel Hoodlums' Attack in Katsina

The Katsina State Command of the Nigeria Police Force, in the early hours of today, 17th May, 2013, in Katsina State, successfully repelled attacks from a group of armed hoodlums who had besieged the ancient town of Daura, carrying out coordinated attacks on police facilities and banks.

After a long gun battle with the hoodlums, the criminals were over-powered by the Police. The exceptional display of courage and gallantry by the Policemen resulted in the death of five (5) of the heavily armed gang and the inflicting of severe injuries on dozens of others who managed to escape with bullet wounds, abandoning their weapons in the process.

Weapons and other items recovered by the Police from the gang included: twelve (12) AK-47 rifles, fifteen (15) AK 47 magazines, fifteen (15) Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), as well as two vehicles (a Golf and a Toyota saloon car) used by the hoodlums as operational vehicles.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni, has commended the efforts of the Katsina State Police Command for repelling and foiling the criminal attacks. He enjoined the Nigeria Police officers not to relent in their efforts at combating all forms of crime and criminality, until the battle against terrorism is won.

While assuring Nigerians of the readiness of the Force to live up to its constitutional responsibility of ensuring the safety of the citizenry, the IGP urged the public to promptly report any suspicious movement to the Police and other sister security agencies.

Investigation into the incident has since commenced.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

4-Day Workshop on Capacity Building for Police PROs Kicks Off in Uyo

A 4-day ‘’Workshop on Capacity Building for Police Public Relations Officers’’ organized by the Nigeria Police Force, in conjunction with the Government of Akwa-Ibom State, kicks-off today, 17th April, 2013, at Le’ Meridien Hotel, Uyo, the capital city of Akwa-Ibom State.

The Workshop is intended to equip Police Public Relations Officers with requisite professional skills and knowledge in effectively managing the corporate image of the Force in the face of rising extremism, criminality and terrorism in the country. It is expected to emphasize the need for synergy and collaborative efforts among security agencies in the country.

The curriculum of the Workshop is strategically designed to cover training in Media relations, Crisis Communications and Issues Management; Media and Police Public Relations; Perception, Image and Brand management in government agencies; and Terrorism in Democracy and Communication. Also featuring in the intensive training workshop are topics on Public Relations in Police and non-commercial organization, Social role of the Police in the post 9/11 era; and other relevant courses.

The training workshop which is being facilitated by PRM Africa, a foremost Public Relations and Brand Communications firm in Nigeria, with support from some good spirited private and public institutions, has in attendance, the Director, Defence Information, Brig.-General Chris Olukolade who is leading spokespersons of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force. Also participating in the Workshop are the spokes person of the Department of State Services, Mrs. Marylyn Ogar and other Public Relations managers from the Customs, Immigration, Federal Road Safety Corps, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps.

The participation of other security agencies is a manifestation of the resolve of the present Police Management to strengthen inter-agency collaboration in the fight against crime and criminality in the country.

The IGP, while addressing participants in his welcome address, commended His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong (Dr) Godswill Akpabio, for his magnanimity in making the Workshop a reality. He informed that the workshop is part of his reform agenda to strategically, reposition the Nigeria Police Force for effective performance in the face of growing security concern in the country. He added that the introduction of capacity building for the Public Relations Department of the Force is aimed at deepening confidence, strengthening relationship with the public and boosting the corporate image of the Nigeria Police; noting that the success of the Police and other security agencies in the fight against crime, depends largely, on the support, cooperation and partnership enjoyed from the public. The IGP advised participants to maximally exploit the advantage of the workshop for the benefit of their respective agencies and the nation at large.

On his part, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, who was represented by the Deputy Governor of the State, Her Honor NOBLE LADY VALERIE EBE, Deputy Governor of Akwa-Ibom State commended the Nigeria Police for their commitment to the security of the country and for organizing the Training Workshop which no doubt will have a positive impact on the efficiency of its services, that of other security agencies and the country at large.

The IGP used the forum to assure Nigerians of the determination of the Force to perform its constitutional and statutory responsibilities without fear or favor, reminding the public of their civic responsibility of providing useful information to the Police and other security agencies.

Official Unveiling of the 2013 Police Week Celebrations by The IGP

1. It is with a sense of elation and deep professional fulfillment that I welcome you to this epoch-making Press Conference which is designed to herald the commencement of 2013 Police Week Celebrations. My sense of fulfillment stems from the fact that it is under my stewardship as Inspector-General of Police that the concept of Nigeria Police Week, which has remained uncelebrated since 1976, is being re-introduced.

2. The implication, ladies and gentlemen, is that policing is returning to the basics and the traditional values and practices of the Force are being restored. The good old days when the police stations were thrown open for members of the public to walk in and interact with their policemen and officers; when police commanders and smartly dressed police women would proudly interact with the youth community and security stakeholders in the society; and when the expertise of the Force would be showcased in form of demonstrations by versatile police motorcycle riders, proud and smartly turned out officers and men on ceremonial parade and breath-taking demonstrations by police dogs are here again. Today, the Force leadership is giving practical meaning to its firm determination to restore the lost glory of the Force and re-enact those practices which bind the citizens to their police and elicit fond memories of the Force.

3. Beyond the fun-fare, the 2013 Police Week Celebrations conveys a deeper message. It provides a veritable window for us to undertake institutional self-appraisal by celebrating our achievements in an increasingly complex security and crime environment, while also identifying our peculiar challenges in the fight against crime. On this occasion, we shall look at our past, appreciate our present and make projections for the future. Furthermore, ladies and gentlemen, the 2013 Police Week provides an opportunity for us to identify and reward deserving officers who have displayed exceptional gallantry and professional excellence in the line of duty and those that have paid the supreme sacrifice while discharging their constitutional mandate. Such officers will be duly recognized and given Awards by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in line with policing tradition and standards.

4. Above all, the long-term objective of the Police Week Celebrations is to bridge the increasingly widening gap between the public and the police and give positive connotation to the popular saying that ‘police is your friend’. We are determined to introduce projects that will correct all misconception and stereotypes attached to the police as an institution while re-assuring the public of our commitment to their security interests as well as our desire to remain accountable to them. In this regards, the 2013 Police Week Celebrations will engender improved consciousness on the part of the rank and file of the Force on their responsibility for enhancing mutual trust and confidence in their operations and interaction with the public. It is for this reason that we chose ‘Connecting with the People for a more Effective Policing’ as the theme for the Celebrations.

5. Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, the 2013 Police Week Celebrations, being a new beginning, will be low-keyed but symbolic. Accordingly, the following modest activities have been lined up:

DATE	TIME	EVENT	REMARKS	VENUE
MON. 22-4-13	1000HRS	PRE-EVENT PRESS BRIEFING	TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE IGP AT FHQs, ABUJA.	IGP CONFERENCE HALL, FHQ ABUJA
TUE. 23-4-13	1000HRS	MEDICAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH	1. THE FORCE MEDICAL TEAM WILL UNDERTAKE MEDICAL OUTREACH WHICH WILL BE FLAGGED OFF BY THE IGP. THIS WILL INCLUDE FREE DEWORMING EXERCISE, BP CHECKS, BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL CHECK, AND FREE MEDICAL ADVICE.	1. JABI POLICE BARRACKS 2. FORCE HEADQUARTERS 3. COMMAND CLINIC 4. GARKI BARRACKS
TUE. 23-4-13	1000HRS	POWA COMMUNITY OUTREACH	2. POWA PRESIDENT WILL VISIT SOS VILLAGES/CHILDREN HOSPITALS AND DONATE ITEMS	1. SELECTED MOTHERLESS BABIES’ HOMES 2. CHILDREN WARDS IN SELECTED HOSPITALS
WED. 24-4-13	1000HRS	SCHOOL COMMUNITY OUTREACH	VISITATION TO SELECTED SCHOOL/CAREER TALKS AND PRESENTATION OF SCHOOL GIFTS	1. ROYAL FAMILY ACADEMY, WUYE, ABUJA 2. DIVINE MERCY SEC. SCH. ASOKORO, ABUJA 3. NEW CAPITAL SCHOOL, ASOKORO, ABUJA 4. GOVT. SEC. SCH., TUDUN-WADA, ABUJA 5. EL-AMIN INTERNATIONAL SCH., ABUJA 6. AR-RAHMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, ABUJA.
THUR. 25-4-13	1000HRS	QUIZ COMPETITION (TO BE LIMITED TO SIX PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ABUJA)	WILL INVOLVE: 1. FEDERAL GOVT. GIRLS COL. BWARI 2. FED. GOVT. BOYS COL. APO 3. POLICE SEC. SCH. MINNA 4. AR-RAHMAN INTERNATIONAL SCH. AREA 11, ABUJA 5. DIVINE MERCY SEC. SCH., ASOKORO 6. MODEL SEC. SCH., MAITAMA	NUC AUDITORIUM, ABUJA. IT WILL BE AIRED LIVE ON NTA
FRI. 26-4-13	1400HRS	JUMA’AT PRAYERS	-	NATIONAL MOSQUE, ABUJA
SAT. 27-4-13	1000HRS	SYMPOSIUM/LAUNCH OF ‘NIGERIA POLICE : THE JOURNEY SO FAR’		YAR’ADUA CENTRE, ABUJA
SUN. 28-4-13	1000HRS	THANKSGIVING SERVICE	(DRESS CODE - NO. 2 REVIEW ORDER DRESS)	NATIONAL ECUMENICAL CENTRE, ABUJA
MON. 29-4-13	0800HRS	CEREMONIAL PARADE AND AWARD	PRESIDENT COMMANDER –IN-CHIEF WILL REVIEW PARADE, GIVE AWARDS TO SELECTED OFFICERS, AND LAUNCH POLICE HELICOPTERS/PATROL VEHICLES ACQUIRED FOR NEW INTEGRATED AIR AND LAND ANTI-CRIME STRATEGY OF THE FORCE	EAGLE SQUARE ABUJA

6. The activities for the 2013 edition will be limited to Abuja. However, the next edition will be more elaborate and will cover all Police Commands in the Federation.

7. Permit me to use this medium, ladies and gentlemen, to thank the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR for supporting this Vision. I must also thank members of the 2013 Police Week Organising Committee who have since late last year been working assiduously towards making the Event a reality. To you the esteemed members of the fifth estate of the realm, I thank you most sincerely for your support as symbolized by your attendance, even at short notice. I, however, count on you to give the widest ever possible publicity to the events scheduled for these Celebrations. For it is only by so doing that you can aid the Force in transmitting the message of reconnecting to the Public to the widest audience.

8. I thank you for your attendance and look forward to interacting with you more as the celebrations progress.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Ban on Indiscriminate and Unlawful Use of Tinted Glasses Still in Force

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni, has observed with grave concern, the alarming abuse and unlawful use of tinted glasses and the plying on our highways of unregistered/unlicensed vehicles by some vehicle owners across the country, despite repeated warnings by the Police authority. This unbecoming attitude has the capacity, not only to heighten criminal activities, but to place unnecessary pressure on security agencies and law abiding citizens.

In view of the potential danger posed by the indiscriminate use of tinted glasses and unregistered/unlicensed vehicles, corroborated by recent security reports that criminal elements, including suspected terrorists, now hide under the cover of the use of the aforementioned types of vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles to execute their nefarious trade, the IGP wishes to remind Nigerians from all walks of life, including politicians, military and security personnel, that the ban on unlawful and indiscriminate use of tinted glasses and legislations forbidding the plying of unregistered vehicles on our highways, are still very much in force.

The IGP, in the light of several negative security implications associated with this unrestrained infringement on relevant laws on the use of tinted glasses and unregistered/unlicensed vehicles, has directed all Zonal AIGs and State Command Commissioners of Police to arrest and bring to book, in line with extant laws, all defaulters. He wishes to clearly state that the Nigeria Police Force will no longer tolerate the habit of few misguided Nigerians who wantonly abuse the use of tinted glasses and unregistered/unlicensed vehicles, thereby complicating the challenge of effectively policing the country and equally endangering the lives and property of law abiding citizens.

It is the strong advice of the IGP that all persons having vehicles still unlawfully fitted with tinted glasses, to remove them immediately. Similarly, owners of unregistered/unlicensed vehicles are advised to immediately register them and obtain appropriate licenses or withdraw them forthwith from public roads; as police Officers nationwide have been directed to commence a massive operation aimed at enforcing all existing laws bordering on tinted glasses and the use of unregistered/unlicensed vehicles.

The IGP wishes to reassure the public that the Nigeria Police is committed to its constitutional and lawful responsibilities of providing security for the citizenry. Citizens are however, reminded of their civic obligation of obeying all laws of the State. They are further advised to act and conduct themselves within the ambit of the law and to continue to support and assist the Police and other security agencies in their efforts to safeguard the country.