Policing: PSC seeks more funding, supervision, increased community involvement to combat crime

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd), has called for increased funding for intelligence, investigations, and prosecutions by the Nigeria Police Force.

He spoke at a summit on police accountability organized by CLEEN Foundation, pointing out that the government had a duty of ensuring public accountability  and transparency  of all the activities of police units.

He added that there must be transparency and accountability by ensuring public accountability in all police investigative activities.

The former police boss also looked at ethics and professionalism among cops, saying that the enforcment of ethical standards for detectives and investigators must be paramount to to enhance professionalism.

He called for strict measures against officers of the Nigeria Police Force found in violation of human rights of citizens, with emphasis on adherence to the Anti-torture Act, 2017.

Argungu also called on the federal and state governments to review the “current passive and obsolete criminal justice system at their various levels,” adding that it should be done in line with the current globalisation, computerization and Nigerian environment.

He recommended the establishment of the FCT Police as Pilot Scheme to be called Metropolitan Police of FCT, Abuja, just like the Nambian Metropolitan Police in Windhoek, the capital of Nambia.

Argungu added, “Certain ranks of police officers such as constables to Chief Superintendents should be deployed to their locality to operate while members of the community should also be involved in the fight against crime and criminality in order to get to the root  of the problem  and find a lasting solution”.