Dele Ogbodo in Abuja
The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, tuesday lamented the underfunding of the Force, saying that the non-release of fund by the National Assembly was seriously undermining its performance.
According to him, the Nigeria Police Force got only N4 billion in 2016 budgetary appropriation out of the more than N380 billion budgeted for its capital expenditure.
Idris, who spoke during a one-day seminar for the 37 Zonal/ Command Police Public Relations Officers (PPROs), on public perception and improving the image of the police, said the image makers must attend to everyone with the aim of solving their problems.
According to him, the police depend so much on the National Assembly for its survival, adding that it was becoming increasingly difficult for it to carry out its operations due to underfunding.
He said: “We need to be properly funded, we need fund to upgrade our equipment, we need fund to tackle kidnapping, we need fund to carry out intelligence gathering, we need adequate if the police is to achieve maximum results.”
He charged the PROs to up their game in disseminating the good works that the Force is doing, adding that the meeting is imperative to address the negative perception members of the public hold against the police.
Idris said: “One of the principles of democratic policing is that the police should address the yearnings and complaints of the public, explaining that the public which the Force serve must be kept satisfied at all times.
He said the image makers must let the public know that it is an offence to pay money for bail, adding: “You must showcase to the citizens your achievements and success forthrightly.
“The public must be made to know the prosecution of suspects of kidnapping, terrorism, armed robbery and other violent crimes.”
According to the IG, this can only be made possible through police media programmes, by way of adequate publicity and information dissemination.
In a remark, the Country Director of Justice for All of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), who also doubles as Advisor to the IG, Prof. Olu Ogunsakin, said the overall legitimacy of the police depends much more on citizens perception of how the police treat them than on their perceptions of police success in reducing crime.
According to him, public confidence in and support for the police depends more on citizens perception of the police officers’ motives than whether the outcome was personally favourable to the citizen.
