Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
Police Public Relations officers (PPROs) working under various police headquarters, divisions and stations in the country have been advised to imbibe good human relation qualities and allow members of the public to provide information to them under confidentiality and protection that could help in the control of crime and to also make good use of the media in order to keep the people abreast on police activities.
The Chairman of the Bauchi State Correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Segun Awofadeji, gave this advice yesterday while presenting a paper titled: ‘Effective Communication Practices as a prerequisite for Successful Policing’ at the opening ceremony of a two-day training workshop organised by CORART Ventures Limited to officers and men of police public relations and human rights departments drawn from the North eastern part of the country with the theme: ‘Policing in a post insurgency era’ held at Larema Hotels and Suites in Bauchi.
Awofadeji, who said police spokespersons have pivotal roles to play in re-branding the Nigerian police and restoring people’s confidence on the force, urged police image makers to make good utilisation of both print and electronic media to disseminate information on their activities, operations and warnings of potential crimes on regular basis to the public.
“Rebuilding trust and confidence in the police will be difficult because of the department’s secrecy. Providing information to and seeking information from the public on matters of terrorism require thoughtful approach. Keeping the public informed and finding ways to engage them is one premise of the CTU campaign that encourages the community and front line employees to report suspicious behavior, activities and circumstances,†he said.
Awofadeji recommended that aside from the issuance of press statements, organising news conferences which were common, the police should write regular columns for newspaper publication about crime prevention, events going on in the force or community as well as publishing their personal newsletters, brochures and organising community presentations and meetings.
Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the consultancy firm CORART Ventures Limited, Mr. Stanley Mshelia, explained that the workshop was aimed at preparing the police officers for challenges after the fight against insurgency in the region has been curtailed.
He said about 30 officers working under police public relations departments and human right desks in the six North eastern states participated in the training.
