PSC demands funding for police intelligence units, investigations
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Hashimu Argungu has called for adequate funding for intelligence, investigations and prosecution activities for the Nigeria Police Force by the federal government.
Argungu tasked the government to ensure public accountability and transparency of all the activities of investigative units.
He spoke at a Panel Conversation on Police Leadership and Police Accountability organised for Civil Society Representatives, Policy Makers, Academia, Leadership of the Nigeria Police Force and International Partners by Cleen Foundation.
Head of Press and Public Relations of the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani in a statement on Tuesday said this in a paper presentation titled “National Summit on Police Accountability: Reviewing External, Internal and Stakeholders Accountability Strategies and Mechanism of the Nigeria Police Force/Service”.
He said the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of FCIID should establish an internal public complaints and feedback system, adding that the Investigators must be open and transparent in their dealings and must be accountable to the people at all times.
Argungu also noted that there should be ethics for Police detectives and investigators, which must be enforced for professionalism.
He called for strict measures against officers of the Nigeria Police Force found in violation of human rights of citizens.
The PSC Chairman said individual Police Officers connected to the act of torture which is purely a strict liability offence contrary to the Anti-torture Act, 2017 must be dealt with accordingly.
DIG Argungu also called on the Federal and State Governments to review the current passive and obsolete criminal justice system at their various levels, adding that it should be done in line with the current globalisation, computerization and Nigerian environment.
He recommended the establishment of the FCT Police as a Pilot Scheme to be called the Metropolitan Police of FCT, Abuja just like the Nambian Metropolitan Police in Windhoek, Nambia.
He said certain ranks of Police Officers such as Constables to Chief Superintendents should be deployed to their locality to operate, stressing that members of the community should also be involved in the fight against crime and criminality to get to the root of the problem and “find a lasting solution”.
