Change the Nigeria Police will vote for

SIR: It still startles why a country with a high level of graduate unemployment will still have its Police made up of a bulk of officers who are barely literate. It is largely doubtful that strong and sound sense of judgment could emanate from an uninitiated mind as is needful. The same applies when persons who within the limitations of their native intelligence could have difficulties in the fabrication of good reasoning with necessary dispatch are empowered with such subjective authority to make precise decisions, then that should be the real lexical meaning of the word disaster.

In some climes, the Police may be referred to as the Civil Military Department. It is a mix that ought to be well shaken together. “Force” or “No Force” attached to the name, what should matter to the Nigeria Police is the substance.

I will rather defend the cause for a strictly departmentalised police body. It is an anathema for a police officer to be on course for all runs. An anti-robbery squad cannot be as humane, meek and sober as a core civil disciplinary team and the latter cannot also be as forceful as the former and that is the impracticability in having one float on all pedestals. Bearing arms cannot be an affair for all jingos, even for those in uniform. It could be said that there are departments in the institution but it is difficult to convince one that such are strictly served and also replicated in at least all the “cop-shops” closer to the people.

Real policing of the society must be with the people. A policing that is charged against the people is a menace. In my interactions with most Bobbies, especially in the low level cadre, they assume they are at war with the people, and they still wonder why they are failing.

Chibuzo Udolisa,
Lagos.