one of the best in the world
By Joseph Erunke
ABUJA-CONTRARY to a report credited to two
foreign bodies, The International Police
Association and the Institute for Economics
and Peace, which described it as the worst in
the world, the Nigeria Police Force has rated
itself not only as the best in the United Nations
Peace Keeping Operations and Africa but also
one of the best in the world.
Nigerian Police
The report was a fallout of the 2016 World
Internal Security and Police Index, WISPI,
credited to two bodies, The International Police
Association and the Institute for Economics
and Peace.
The report claimed to have measured the
ability of the police to address Internal Security
Issues in 127 Countries in four key areas of
capacity, process, legitimacy and outcomes.
But reacting to the report which was carried by
an online medium, The Cable, Friday, the Force
Headquarters said it rejected the report in its
entirety, saying the framers of the so called
rating were out to blackmail the Nigeria Police.
The reaction came just as the Inspector-
General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, assured
Nigerians, international community and
stakeholders of policing with integrity and
international core values and world best
practices.
“Nigeria Police Force is the best in UN Peace
Keeping Operations, best in Africa, one of the
best in the world. The Force rejects the report
as unempirical and absolute falsehood, and
should be disregarded and discountenanced,
“the police high command said in a statement
released to the media through Force Public
Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, a Chief
Superintendent of Police, CSP.
” The Nigeria Police Force after a careful study
of the report and the news items emanating
from it, wishes to state categorically that the
report is entirely misleading, a clear
misrepresentation of facts and figures and
essentially unempirical, considering the area of
coverage of the report which was said to have
been carried out in 2016 by the above
mentioned associations, “the Force
Headquarters’ statement said.
The statement read further:” The report did not
take into cognisance the significant
improvement in the areas of capacity building,
training and re-training of the entire personnel
of the force as provided for by the current
Federal Government of Nigeria and other
foreign and local NGOs which has greatly
improved the efficiency and service delivery of
the personnel of the Force throughout the
country.
” It is pertinent to state that the instruments
used to evaluate the performance of the Force
vis-à-vis that of other countries is absolutely
incorrect and grossly inadequate and therefore
a plain distortion of facts and figures.
” The strength of about 370,000 police
personnel in the country stands at around one
policeman to less than 600 people in a
population estimates of 180,000,000 Nigerians.
”
The statement further read:” It is equally
significant to state that the current recruitment
of additional 10,000 police personnel into the
Force by the Federal Government of Nigeria
and the request by the Inspector General of
Police to Government for approval of the
recruitment of 31,000 police personnel yearly
for a period of five years will definitely increase
the strength of the Force to meet up with the
UN ratio of one policeman to 400 citizens.
In the UN Peace Keeping System, the Nigeria
Police Force is rated as the best in UN Peace
keeping operations in the world. This clearly
shows that the Nigeria Police Force is not and
cannot be the worst in the world under any
known scientific yardstick or measuring
instrument.
” Currently, the Nigeria Police Force is one of
the only two African delegates representing the
whole of Africa continent on the executive
committee of Interpol, a position the Force
attained based on high performance, merit and
sustained good track records.
” For avoidance of doubt, since the inception of
the present Police administration in July 2016,
the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K.
Idris, has introduced and implemented diverse
internal reforms aimed at improving capacity
building and efficient service delivery of the
personnel of the Force, which is yielding
positive results in the standardization of the
capability of the Nigeria Police Force to deal
with violent crimes and terrorism throughout
the country.
” The establishment and take-off of a world
class Terrorism Investigation Bureau for the
Force with state-of-the-art equipment and
technical support from foreign partners has
greatly improved the capacity of the Force to
deal with threats posed to internal security in
this regard.
“However, it must be pointed out that the
Nigeria Police Force sees the report as a clear
demonstration of mischief, ignorance and
calculated attempt to distort the feat being
recorded by the Force in ensuring adequate
security and safety of Nigerians.
” Nowhere in the report were references made
to either the improved capacity or
achievements recorded by the Nigeria Police
Force across the country in the recent time, the
Force therefore implores all Nigerians and
international community to disregard the report
as unfounded and misleading.
“The renewed determination of the Force to
adhere to Internal Police Reforms for greater
efficiency in service delivery and conform to
standard principles, building trust and
confidence in the citizenry for their safety
remain unequivocal and unwavering.”
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