Senate wants police officers redeployed to states of origin

The Senate yesterday called for redeployment of policemen between the ranks of Constable and Inspectorate cadres to their states of origin to address rising insecurity in the country.

The resolution followed a motion by Senator Ademola Adeleke (PDP, Osun) on the need to post junior cadre of the Nigeria Police Force to their states and local government areas to enhance community policing.

To this effect, the Senate has summoned the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris to appear before the Committee on Police Affairs chaired by Senator Abu Ibrahim (APC) to suggest ways to actualize the resolution.

Adeleke said “There have been calls for the creation of state police in order to proffer a lasting solution to the perennial security challenges due to the ineffectiveness or outright bias of the Nigerian Police Force in carrying out their national assignment.”

He said disconnect between the Nigerian Police and various communities with diverse cultural values and orientation, created a vacuum that needed to be filled through community policing. The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu said the present structure of the country’s police does not support community policing.

 Ekweremadu while stressing the need for the country’s police to be decentralized said solution to the security challenges across the country is state police.