IGP insists roadblocks must go, raises enforcement teams

The acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase on Friday, announced the deployment of 16 teams across the country to enforce the ban on road blocks.Speaking at the headquarters of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja, Lagos, Arase who described the road blocks as point of corruption and nuisance to the public.Arase, however, assured Nigerians that motorised patrols will be introduced in places where road blocks have been removed.The IGP directed that police escorts to all unauthorised persons be withdrawn, adding that the mopped up policemen would be used to form Judges’ Protection Unit.His words: “We have decided that we have to enforce the ban on road blocks. We have deployed about 16 teams to the six geo-political zones to ensure strict enforcement.

“So, I am going to hold the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), Area Commanders (AC) and Commissioners of Police (CP) in whose jurisdiction those road blocks are found accountable.

“I do not want to ambush anybody and that is why I have given sufficient notice to tell you that those road blocks are not performing the duties they are expected to perform.

“They have become nuisance, point of corruption. That is one area where the dignity of an average policeman has been rubbished and we must be able to regain that primacy of internal security managers as we used to be.

“This means that I am allergic to corruption. I have zero tolerance for it. I won’t tolerate it and you have to accommodate me for the period I will be with you.”

He expressed delight at the reduced crime rate in Lagos in the last five years, just as he expressed his desire to ensure that policing is intelligence-driven, advising the CPs to crime map their territories.

He said: “I know what the crime rate was in Lagos about five years ago before the intervention of the state government through RRS, where policemen started doing well.

“I can see that there has been a steady decline in the rate of crime in Lagos, and to that, I say thank you. But we are not out of the woods yet.

“As I told the Commissioners of Police last week, a command which is not able to crime-map its territory is actually porous. You must be able to crime-map your states, know where the problem lie and how to address them.

“I commend you for your internationally acknowledged performance at the just concluded general elections. You were non-partisan, professional and firm in carrying out your duties.”

Arase further warned his men against unlawful arrest and detention, stating that police personnel must have sufficient evidence before inviting a suspect for interrogation.

“Before you arrest anybody, you must be able to assemble enough evidence, you must be able to convince yourself that you have sufficient evidence to interrogate parties before invitation.

“Situations where you arrest someone and keep him in custody before looking for evidence is in breach of the person’s constitutional right.

“Our investigations have to be intelligence-based. That is why I am passionate about our Intelligence School, because what you don’t have, you can’t give.

“Once a matter is civil, it is civil. And once it is commercial, it is commercial. You must stop criminalising civil or commercial matters. That is one area I think the CP must look into. The degree of intervention of the police officer in this transactions should be strictly restricted to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

“If you cannot intervene and resolve the parties, then, you advise them to go to court. Situations where we arrest people and allow the other parties to go and start demolishing their houses, taking over their properties will not be tolerated.”

On promotion of Police personnel, Arase said efforts were underway to ensure all those due for promotion, including Traffic Wardens, are elevated.

“Our training schools will no longer be centre for mediocrity. If you go for a course and perform well, I will encourage you. I will ensure that allowances paid are so attractive that you will want to go to the school.

“And if I cannot give you healthy allowance to go to the school, when you are coming out, having performed excellently, I will promote you.

“This is to ensure that people we send to the school are not disgruntled. Once you are not disgruntled, you can impact your knowledge on your subordinates.”

source:Daily Post