The police are the closest authority to the public and this is to guarantee peace and curb any breach of public disorder and for the protection of lives and property.
The police and their stations are spread all around the intersections of this country but that doesn’t deter kidnappers, Boko Haram, and other criminal elements from disturbing the peace and security of our dear country.
In Nigeria today, the police have assumed the role of the courts in dispensing justice. Unfortunately, the police court is driven by sheer corruption and injustice, hence, making no efforts to right the wrong through adequate policing and integrity.
Justice in the police courts is for the highest bidder and all crimes are negotiable except the one which government has interest in.
The police are charged by law to arraign a suspect before a competent court of law within 24 hours of arrest but that’s just a law in the paper and the police are yet to be taught their constitutional role.
Bail is free– that’s the billboards that await you on arrival at any police station, but in real sense all may believe with me that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to exit police custody without making any payment, not in Nigeria. Bail is not free.
With the increase in population and a high rate of criminality in the country, infrastructure is lacking, cells are stuffed and not conducive for human habitation. Normally, cells in Nigeria are bare floors with no ventilation, light or windows. It’s congested, dirty, and disease infected.
The police are not making any sincere waves in community policing because virtually the people have no trust in the system and the manner in which the police operate. Success in community policing requires a mutual understanding between the police and members of the public, but the police have failed to build that trust.
Therefore, for effective service delivery, enhanced surveillance and community policing, the police should be adequately funded and structured to thwart any act of corruption from their officers and men so as to build trust and help our community grow stronger and with beneficial peace. The police still have a role to play in the nation’s security architecture.
Abdulsalam Yusuf Alkali,
Katsina, Katsina state
[email protected]
