The Problem With Recruiting 30,000 New Police Officers

Meeting With the President

I was one of the “persons with subject-matter appreciation”, that met with President Bola Tinubu in the early days of his administration. This was before he constituted his cabinet. The President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, thought my perspectives on Justice Sector Reform may be worth Mr President’s time.

I recall we met for just under an hour, during which I shared my thoughts on the state of the various institutions that made up the justice sector, and the need for his administration to prioritise their needs. Of course, Police Reform was a talking point. I was quick to mention that the immediate challenge facing his administration, is how to build a professional, accountable and effective Police that upholds the rule of law and protects human rights. I did inform Mr President, that there was nothing about the Police or that needs to be done,  that cannot be found in the reports of the many high level Committees and Commissions on Police reform established by successive governments since 1999, including the report of the Constitutional Conference. We just need to put together these reports in a manner that articulates a coherent plan of action on what needs to be done, and within a specified time frame.

It is beyond comprehension that at least, since 1999, State  Policy on Police reform appears to be based on plenty talk at the end of which government will  adopt adhoc measures, all in an effort to give Nigerians the impression that something is being done. The result of this all talk and do little, is our current reality- a Police Force incapable of meeting the security needs of Nigerians. I was emphatic in my presentation to Mr President, that adhoc measures and interventions will not give Nigerians the Police institution they urgently desire. That there is no substitute for holistic reforms of Police and policing in Nigeria. It must now be obvious to us all, that a reformed Police Force is essential for our national security and economic development.

The Presidential Directive on Police Recruitment: Matters Arising

Redefinition of Values and Review of Institutional Framework

This is why I found the recent Presidential Directive on the recruitment of 30,000 Police Officers, in response to our security situation, deeply troubling. The truth that is so self-evident, is that the problem with the Nigeria Police is not solely about numbers. Yes, Nigeria is below the UN prescribed citizen to police ratio, but, surely, the starting point for this mass recruitment should be ensuring a redefinition of the values that underlie policing, and a review of the institutional framework of the Nigeria Police. These are the twin factors, that continue to militate against effective policing in Nigeria. Otherwise, we stand the risk of placing Nigerians in the hands of an additional 30,000 potentially angry and  frustrated police officers, who will join their in-service colleagues in taking out their frustrations on us when they see that their expectations are not being met. The point that must be made and made loudly to Mr President, is that there is no short cut to achieving a Police institution that will enhance our collective security. If the several adhoc measures undertaken by previous regimes have not solved our security problems, we now need to go in  different direction.

What organisational values, are these 30,000 new recruits going to imbibe? This is more so, in an era where citizens see corruption, Impunity, absence of accountability, incompetence and failure to control the law and order situation has deeply ingrained in the DNA of the Nigeria Police.

Conditions of Service of Police Officers

It is again worth mentioning, as I have done in my several articles on this page, that we need a holistic review of the conditions of service of Police Officers, to undercut the incentive for corrupt and criminal behaviour. I would go a step further to say this proposed review is not simply for the benefit of serving officers, but will also go a long way in attracting quality persons into the Force. Apart from further improvements in salary and allowances, where will these 30,000 newly recruits be accommodated? Has anyone given any thought to the effect of shabby and often stinking Police Barracks and Stations, on these new recruits?  Improved salaries and working environment, will require an upward review of the funding of the Police. Low budget allocation, incomplete and late release of budgeted funds, all contribute in no small way to inefficiency in our policing regime, which makes the Nigeria Police unattractive specifically to the professionals that it sorely needs. Previous reviews have been limited and consequently, ineffective. Given our current security situation, the Nigeria Police should not be a dumping ground for the unemployed and the unemployable.

Change of Nomenclature

Then there is the issue of the institutional weaknesses, that would simply make nonsense of any recruitment process. A major area of intervention in Police administration over the last decade, has been the enactment of the Police Act, 2020. An important deliverable of the Buhari administration. The Police Act in many ways facilitates public service delivery, transparency and enhancement of community policing. Regrettably, we have been unable to achieve either the letter or the spirit of this progressive legislation. In my view, any institutional rejigging of the Police, should commence with a change of nomenclature. A change of name from Nigeria Police Force to Nigeria Police Service. For those who may ask what’s in a name? My response is everything. The difference lies in the underlying philosophy and approach to law enforcement. While ‘Force’ emphasises authority and control, ‘Service’ prioritises community engagement, partnership and a more proactive and preventive approach to policing. At the very least, this change of name will give citizens an opportunity to keep reminding Police Officers who misbehave that they are now a Service, not a Force.

Appointment of Inspector-General and Senior Police Officers

Another main institutional reform that is necessary, is with the process for the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police and senior Police Officers. The current appointment process with its attendant limited public scrutiny and transparency, not only robs Nigerians of having a say in the appointment of those who will lead this important institution, but also denies the Nigeria Police of the services of its most competent officers at all levels of its management structure. Some may say with justification, that not a few of the problems plaguing the Police, especially the absence of bold and fresh ideas, is a result of this limited appointment process. Senior Police Officers who went through a transparent and merit based appointment process and not through god-fatherism and the like, are likely to insist on a competitive and transparent process for the recruitment of new intakes into the Police.

Training and Manpower Development Facilities

No less important to any recruitment process, is the poor training and manpower development facilities of the Nigeria Police. In terms of increasing competence, the existing curriculum for Police education and training does little to make the Police more capable, service-oriented, people friendly and efficient. I was particularly alarmed to learn that a part of the Presidential directive on this recruitment mentioned the use of NYSC camps as additional training facilities, in a bid to decongest the already strained Police training facilities. If we are currently struggling with the quality of graduates who attend proper Police training schools, what can we possibly expect from graduates of make shift Police NYSC Training Camps? God have mercy!!

A component of the Police Training Curriculum which has found its way into police lexicon, is Community Policing. At different workshops, training programmes and publications, I have argued that community policing is perhaps, the most misunderstood and frequently abused theme in Police management. All manner of organisational tinkering within the Police has been labelled community policing. Community Policing is not a programme. It is a value system in which the primary goal of the Police is to work hand in hand with citizens, groups and organisations, to identify and resolve issues which potentially affect the liveability of our communities. Without community support, participation and ownership, it simply cannot work. A community policing strategy should foster a collaborative approach that involves local communities, including traditional rulers, in security management and intelligence gathering, to build trust and ensure a more responsive Police Force. Reclaiming public trust, is a sine qua non to community policing.

Police Oversight Bodies

It may be time to ask ourselves whether we can justify the continued existence of our Police oversight bodies – the Police Council, Police Service Commission and indeed, the Ministry of Police Affairs in their present forms. I struggle to assess their contributions to the development of the Nigeria Police, or policing in Nigeria. Apart from confirmation of the appointment of the Inspector-General of Police and promotion of Police Officers across the cadres, can anyone say with authority what they do? This is more so, with the Ministry of Police Affairs. This is a huge bureaucracy that largely duplicates functions already performed or statutorily assigned to the Nigeria Police or the Police Service Commission. Should we not consider replacing the Ministry of Police Affairs with a Ministry of Public Safety and Security, with a firm mandate to coordinate the activities of government in the field of public security and community initiatives on crime prevention?

State Police

Then there is the debate on State policing. The fact that there has been more than two decades of debate on State Police is indicative of either an absence of political will, or a deeply entrenched resistance to the idea. This is an area where decisiveness is required, of the sort we witnessed in the removal of petrol subsidy. The administration should encourage and support constitutional amendments to allow States that wish to establish their own Police regimes, to do so, hereby, decentralising policing and tailoring security responses to local needs.

The directive on mass  recruitment, should have been accompanied by a directive to the States to begin the process of constituting their Police regimes, pending constitutional amendment. We have had enough debate, on the pros and cons of State police. The States should now be empowered to protect lives and properties within their territories on the basis of strict adherence to best practices, and with defined parameters for cooperation with the Nigeria Police and other security agencies.

Finally

Finally, before we embark on this massive recruitment process, can the Inspector-General of Police or any of Police oversight agencies, say with certainty that they know the precise number of Policemen in uniform today, not the estimates that are often used as a substitute for data collection?. Do we know the location of these officers? Not the visible ones attached to VIPs. Do we know the exact number of serviceable vehicles and other transportation utilities, available to the Nigeria Police presently? Do we know the number and state of police stations nationwide, including facilities they have?

In all, I can’t help but reflect on the parable of “new wine in old wineskins”.