One of the greatest factors hindering the emergence of the police of
our dream in Nigeria is the barrack system that we operate, where
policemen are lumped together in barracks and isolated from the society
which they are meant to police.
The concept of accommodating
policemen in barracks was originally a colonial arrangement put in place
to make for easy assemblage of these men whenever they are needed to
tackle matters of urgent attention. However, times have changed. Every
police officer now has a mobile phone, besides the regular police
walkie-talkie. Police men therefore do not need to live together in a
particular place for them to be easily assembled whenever they are
needed to attend to distress situations.
When policemen live
amongst the people, they interact with them and feel the pulse of their
communities. It would therefore be easier for them to gather information
and counter crimes as against when they are isolated in the barracks.
When
police officers graduate from the police training institute (police
college), they do so with high hopes of professionalism. However, the
kind of interactions that take place within the barracks amongst police
officers soon erode every sense of astuteness and altruistic
professionalism that the young officers graduated with and soon blends
with the older folks, doing "business as usual".
A visit to a
typical Nigerian police barrack shows buildings that are dilapidated,
unkept and grossly unfit for human habitation. There is no way an
individual would be accommodated in that kind of an environment and such
a fellow would be expected to behave decently.
The average Nigerian
policeman lacks self esteem and dignity largely because of the inhuman
environment where he resides. He therefore sees members of the larger
society as enemies.
He sees them as people who are enjoying, while
he and members of his family are deprived of basics of life. This
scenario certainly prevents him from putting in his best into his job
while he looks at other professionals with envy, and perhaps disdain.
So, from the onset, it becomes a game of "us" against "them".
I
recommend that the police barracks system all over the federation be
scrapped and ADEQUATE ACCOMMODATION ALLOWANCE be factored into the
salaries of policemen to enable them afford decent accommodations
amongst the civil populace.
SECURITY VOTE ANTI- CORRUPTION COURTS
