2015 polls: Commission demands accountability from the police

The Police Service Commission (PSC), has demanded full accountability from the police during the forthcoming elections. Mike Okiro, chairman of PSC, who made the demand in Abuja at a Town Hall sensitisation meeting of stakeholders on the election, said it was the Commission’s mandate to demand for accountability from the police during the 2015 general elections.

The retired inspector-general of police who spoke while delivering a paper titled ‘Strengthening of civilian oversight over the Nigeria police during the 2015 general election’,  said the core objective of the Commission is to make the relationship between the public and the Nigeria Police one of trust and confidence instead of that of suspicion and indifference.

He noted that at this critical period of the nation’s life, “we must shift from the era of blame to the era of realising that the preference of the elector should become less ambiguous and more manifest. To achieve this, the PSC boss said “we must all realise that we all have a responsibility in this challenge.” He observed that in fulfilment of its mandate in the exercise of its oversight functions over the Nigeria Police, it monitors the conduct/misconduct of the police while in the performance of their duties during elections.

He announced that the Commission has published telephone numbers which members of the public can call to alert staff of the Commission who are monitoring conduct of police in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja about any inordinate behaviour of a police officer in the exercise of his/her duties during the 2015 general election.

The chairman, who launched the posters and fliers containing the telephone numbers and the guidelines on the conduct of the police and the Commission’s monitors during the election, also used the occasion to speak on the scorecard of his administration.

He said the Commission during his tenure has promptly and regularly carried out promotions of senior police officers based on seniority, merit and availability of vacancies. Okiro disclosed that 7,111 senior police officers have been promoted during his tenure, adding that it is now mandatory for all deputy commissioners of police (DCP) due for promotion to the rank of Commissioner of Police to a attend promotion interview in the Commission. On police recruitment, he said the commission screened and recruited 280 ICT Cadet Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASP) and 88 Cadet Inspectors into the Police College of Information Technology, stressing that these intakes have successfully concluded a 12-month training course.