NEW NIGERIAN
October 4, 2007

Fashola wants police restructured, defence vote reviewed

From RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos

LAGOS State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola advocated for the restructuring of the Nigeria Police and a review of the defence vote and the difference be to supplementary provisions for internal security and the Police Force.

He further enjoined President Umar Yar’Adua, the National Assembly and other relevant officials of the Federal Government to make substantial additional provisions for the police in the 2008 budget.

Fashola, who made the call during the launching of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund and Unveiling of the New Rapid Response Squad of the state Police Command at the new Government House, Alausa, Ikeja, said the constitutional responsibility for the police and other security agencies established by law still remains that of the federal government.

He stated that it would profit the nation if the defence vote is seriously reviewed and the difference is used to supplement the provisions for internal security and the police force.
Fashola further called for the restructuring of the constitution to enable states participate more in the process of recruiting police officers.

The governor explained that the arguments against the involvement of states in the police have always proceeded by an assumption that all the 36 states would act irresponsibly and that the state governments would use the police only for selfish purposes.

He noted that several private security outfits have continued to function in the state without any problem, saying that “If the fear is about misuse of arms, this is a reminder that it is not impossible for a security outfit to function effectively without fire arms.”

Fashola maintained that the state could effectively monitor and enforce matters like traffic offences, breach he of the environment and physical development regulations for which local forces are obviously best suited and which it is clear the federal police alone cannot cope.

“If the Federal Government keeps its hands off theses areas which clearly are matters over which the states have competence to make laws and allows for unarmed state force or community police force, if that is the word that is comfortable for those who are listening, to take charge.

“The federal police can take advantage and focus on more serious crimes. In my view, it is even possible to maintain one police force but with designated contingents under the jurisdiction of the state government, Fashola said.

The governor suggested that six regional commands, training centres and police academies could be set up to train the state contingents to the standard and national curriculum, adding that, “Once engaged, all the policemen, state and federal, can be identified with serial numbers at the federal training facilities before commencement of training.”

“Each state will then send its own contingent to the police academy run by the federal government and run by the federal police so that those men will be trained in accordance with the same national curriculum but will be funded the state,” he noted.

He stated that if the new approach is adopted, it would enable the country to address the question of unemployment by creating a career opportunity for young men and women in state police command still under the national command control by the federal police.

His word: “To continue to peg our national police force at 300,000 people to 140 million people because we cannot meet the necessary budgetary provision is an invitation to anarchy. I think that we can sit down restructure our police so that we get more men and the states can decide how many police officers each state requires.”

While launching the Security Trust Fund, the Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mike Okiro said the state has passed the state security fund bill into law since a similar bill had been lying before the National Assembly since 2003.

Okiro warned criminals to state clear of the state, saying the Police in the state is battle ready to deal with all criminals.

The Police boss commended the state government for the equipment donated to the Nigeria police command to combat crime in the state, saying the welfare of the police had been neglected over the years promised that the Lagos state police command and the RRS would make the maximum use of the equipment donated to them under the security trust fund.

Earlier, in his goodwill message, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed urged the RRS to use the equipment with civility in their fight against criminals in the state as they cannot afford to disappoint Lagosians in this challenging task, adding that, “You must guard against lawlessness and recklessness in the discharge of your duties with these equipment by not using them to kill innocent citizens but criminals.”