Security Expert Opposes Ban On Police Patrols, Others
A security consultant, Salaudeen Hashim, has opposed the ban of patrols by Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other police squads announced on Sunday by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
Hashim, in an interview on Sunday with InsideBusiness.ng, said the IGP’s directive could lead to anarchy and also aggravate the insecurity in some parts of the country.
The IGP, had in a statement by the Force Pubic Relations Officer, Frank Mba, banned personnels of FSARS and tactical squads of the Force such as Special Technical Squad, Anti-Cultism Squad, Intelleigence Response Team, and other sqauds, operating at the federal, zonal and command levels, from engaging in routine patrols, stop and search duties, traffic checks, checkpoints and mounting of roadblocks.
The statement reads in part: The IGP’s directive come against the backdrop of findings by the leadership of the Force that a few personnel of the Tactical Sqaud hide under these guises to perptrate all forms of illegality, contrary to the Standard Operatiing Procedure, Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement establishing the squads.”
Reacting on the development, Hashim, said the ban is not a remedy to some of the alleged misconducts of some police personnel.
The SAN, who is also the Secretary, National Peace and Security Forum, warned that the directive could be counter-productive, adding that Nigerians could be at the mercy of people of unwholesome character.
He called on IGP Adamu to reverse the directive.
He said, “Nigerians are at the mercy of something merciless if this proclamation by the IGP is not reversed. Anarchy might be born!
“A torrent of questions needs to be answered: first of which is whether outright ban on these operations is the only way out for the IGP? What alternatives are there to fill the vacuum in our society with growing and dynamic insecurity? How can the various policing policies of government be coordinated in the interest of Nigerians?
“How can stakeholders such as Police Service Commission (PSC), Ministry of Police Affairs, Interior and other internal security oversight agencies work harmoniously to launder the image of our police system and make it effective, efficient and responsive?”
The security expert said rather than the ban, more emphasis should be on investments in remunerations, allowances, welfare and operational packages of police personnel.
He added that the hazard allowance for the personnel should be increased.
Hashim said, “Events in recent past by the police are like the Persian carpet. Wools are woven into intricate patterns and images. Any attempt made to pull the thread like the IGP had done, will make it loose its design.
“This is a classical description of the directive given by the IGP. No one solves a problem by creating a new regime of troubles. The IGP has largely exposed the real reason behind the lacklustre performance of the police, the absence of capacity, mitigation strategy to deal with problem as well as capability plan.
“Yes, there are challenges with personnel behaviour which has unfortunately taken lives of innocent lives, capitulation is not the remedy for migraine.
“The first question to ask, let the IGP make public the rules of engagement of his men within those various operations. Rules of Engagements (RoEs) are specific pattern a personnel must consult before delivering and/or engaging the civilian populace. There are possibilities that RoEs are duplicated on all missions and operations without any adaptive approach and or review to mission’s reality.
“As if the police are unhappy with the much celebrated act recently passed. A law that was precolonial has recently received a review but like a paradox, everyday since the President (Muhammadu Buhari) gave his ascent to the bill, the police had protested by its monstrous mounds. It is a clear message to warn the implementers of the new law to steer away from enforcing specific traditional provisions.”
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