Police Reforms Require Huge Funding – PSC Chairman Smith

…..Meets ECOWAS, EU Delegations To Nigeria

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Chairman, Police Service Commission, (PSC), and Nigeria’s retired Inspector General of police IGP, Alhaji Musiliu Smith, has stressed the need for adequate funding for the force, saying that is the only way to realize a successful Reforms in the nation’s policing system.

He stated this yesterday when he met with the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Spokesman for the Commission, Ikechukwu Ani in a statement made available to African Examiner Thursday, said the ex- IGP, maintained that adequate funding remains the answer to a robust Police Reforms in the country.

According to the statement, The Delegation (Police Expert Mission) led by Hendrickson Dyean was in the Police Service Commission to find out how the organization with its oversight Constitutional responsibility over the Police, was making inputs into the Presidential Police Reform Roadmap and how donors could also support the programme.

The Commission boss, noted that adequate funding of the Police as well as the Police Service Commission; the statutory civilian oversight body on the Nigeria Police Force will make the Police more efficient and effective.

He also stated that Police reforms should also include training and retraining of officers, provision of decent and comfortable barrack accommodation, effective mobility (Transportation) and provision of adequate quality weaponry.

Smith added that it should also accommodate efficient and effective communication gadgets, uncompromising recruitment process and good Police/community relations amongst others.

The PSC Chairman maintained that if all these requirements are put in place, crime prevention response rate by the Police will be swift, effective and efficient.

In his remark, the EU leader who was also in company of Spirlet Nevd-Angic (SSR expert) and Kemi Okenyodo (Founder/Executive Director) Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative had promised to continue to partner with the Commission and support its efforts in the Presidential Police Reform Roadmap so as to improve the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force in handling the disturbing rate of insecurity in the country.