Inspector-General blames wrong judgment by personnel for poor public image of police

 

BY KAZIE UKO

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Umar, has blamed poor judgment and failure to live up to responsibility by some police personnel for wrong public perception and negative image suffered by the Nigeria Police Force.

Umar said the virtual public loss of confidence on the force has been further compounded by the current insecurity in the country, changing nature of crime and the rapid development and advancement in information and communication technology.

The police IG spoke Tuesday at the opening ceremony of a four-day capacity building workshop for police public relations officers, in Awka, Anambra State.

“Unarguably, certain indiscretions and perceived inactions by some personnel of the Force as well as the security challenges in some parts of the country impact negatively on the image of the Force.

“This reality coupled with the dynamic nature of crime, rapidly advancing information and communication technology and the changing policing environment that we deal with in the line of our duty have combined to redefine both the concept of policing and the perception of the police by the citizens.

“Indeed, experts have asserted that there is an intertwining relationship between public perception and the effectiveness of the Police to attain its internal security mandate,” Umar said.

He added, therefore, that the workshop was part of his administration’s commitment to enhance the capacity of officers whose primary responsibility it is to manage the image and information dissemination process, towards repositioning the Nigeria Police and changing the negative perception.

“The import of this, ladies and gentlemen, is that our ability to win over public trust and confidence as a pathway to crime management is precedent on the capacity of you, the officers here seated to rebrand the police and project it positively to the citizens.

“It is indeed in cognizance of this that we are embracing the concept of community policing which is directed at building strong partnership with the citizens in our drive to attain our mandate. The Public Relations Department of the Nigeria Police remains critical to this process.

“It is also my expectation that you shall at the end of this programme, imbibe the concept and practice of strategic information management and develop strong critical thinking ability needed to dissect and manage complex Public Relations challenges in the most professional manner,” he counselled.

He commended the efforts of the Force PRO, DCP Frank Mba and his team of PPROs across the country in projecting the image of the police, while acknowledging that there was still much work to be done towards correcting the age-long stereotypes about the Force.

“I challenge you not to rest on your oars but maintain optimal professionalism at all times. You must re-invent the image of the Force. I encourage you to take advantage of the new media and modern technology to do this and also ensure timely dissemination and response to issues. You must master your turfs and strengthen your relationship with your internal and external publics,” he charged them.

The IGP thanked the governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, for hosting and sponsoring the workshop. He also extended his gratitude to the School of Media and Communication, Pan African University for facilitating the programme.