According to reports from Guardian Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 6, comprising Rivers, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi and Akwa Ibom states, Mr. Baba Adisa Bolanta, spoke in his Calabar office on what the public should expect from the Nigerian Police this year, among others issues.
What should the public expect from the Police this year?
They should expect an improved performance. We are going to improve our performance.
Our projection is to drastically reduce crime rate, especially kidnapping, arm robbery, cultism, communal clashes and murder, and make life more comfortable for the people of the zone.
What should the public expect from the Police this year?
They should expect an improved performance. We are going to improve our performance.
Our projection is to drastically reduce crime rate, especially kidnapping, arm robbery, cultism, communal clashes and murder, and make life more comfortable for the people of the zone.
Nigerians don’t really have much confidence in the Police. How would you change public perception of the Police?
I don’t really agree that people don’t trust us; that may be before. In recent time, people really have confidence in us and they are partnering with us.
I don’t really agree that people don’t trust us; that may be before. In recent time, people really have confidence in us and they are partnering with us.
That is why we have this community policing initiative and we have reinforcement of that initiative by the present Inspector General of Police (IGP).
We have a lot of strategies to drastically reduce crime this year, part of which is to increase partnership with the community in security issues.
We have a lot of strategies to drastically reduce crime this year, part of which is to increase partnership with the community in security issues.
Another one is to raise the level of professionalism of our men and we have put in place a training programme to reshape the attitude of our men to members of the public.
All these are designed to regain the confidence of the public in our ability to protect them.
All these are designed to regain the confidence of the public in our ability to protect them.
What challenges do you foresee this year?
One is in the area of logistics. We all know that it is not possible for government to provide all our needs, because there are so many contending issues.
One is in the area of logistics. We all know that it is not possible for government to provide all our needs, because there are so many contending issues.
We also have the challenge of public apathy towards the Police. Some still believe that the Police are not people you can easily go to and get the right help. But that is not true. This is a people-friendly Police and the Police are their own Police. We are for everybody.
After all, the power we are exercising is on behalf of the people.
Cultism and kidnapping is rampant in some states under your zone. What are you doing to curb this?
After all, the power we are exercising is on behalf of the people.
Cultism and kidnapping is rampant in some states under your zone. What are you doing to curb this?
We have already put strategies in place, one of which is to increase our partnership with the various communities and bring them nearer.
With that, we would have increased intelligence that will enable us to get these undesirable elements among us and bring them to book.
You talked about people-friendly Police, but there are situations where complainants are asked to mobilise officers to crime scene or pay for bail, among others?
Police work is humanitarian in nature; we don’t demand money, we don’t demand anything. Services are rendered free of charge.
With that, we would have increased intelligence that will enable us to get these undesirable elements among us and bring them to book.
You talked about people-friendly Police, but there are situations where complainants are asked to mobilise officers to crime scene or pay for bail, among others?
Police work is humanitarian in nature; we don’t demand money, we don’t demand anything. Services are rendered free of charge.
All anybody in distress needs to do is go to the nearest police station. They need not pay anything. If they have logistic challenge, it is for the head of that station to look for a way to get round that challenge. It is not to put the burden on somebody who is already in distress.
The present Police management, headed by the present IGP, has zero tolerance for all such uncivilised acts. Some of our men were sanctioned some time ago for these unholy acts. It is not a tradition or an official procedure that you pay mobilisation fee.
What achievements have the Police recorded in the zone so far?
There has been a reduction in cases of violent crimes, especially kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism, and even communal clashes.
We have been able to bring the two warring communities by the boundary in Ebonyi and Cross Rivers State states to a roundtable and speak to them and by the grace of God, they have been writing letters to us, thanking the Police for the effort in resolving the matter. There is peace now along that borderline.
We have been able to reduce cultism to a tolerable level in some of the states, like Ebonyi, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. Cross River State has just hosted a hitch-free carnival.
We were able to provide necessary security that enabled people to come, participate in the carnival and leave without any harassment or incidence.
There has been a reduction in cases of violent crimes, especially kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism, and even communal clashes.
We have been able to bring the two warring communities by the boundary in Ebonyi and Cross Rivers State states to a roundtable and speak to them and by the grace of God, they have been writing letters to us, thanking the Police for the effort in resolving the matter. There is peace now along that borderline.
We have been able to reduce cultism to a tolerable level in some of the states, like Ebonyi, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. Cross River State has just hosted a hitch-free carnival.
We were able to provide necessary security that enabled people to come, participate in the carnival and leave without any harassment or incidence.
The same thing in Rivers, where there is a drastic reduction in the rate of kidnapping and we were able to foil a lot of bank robberies and attacks on bullion vans, because of the various measures put in place by the various commissioners of Police.
What is your thought on corruption and inducement in the Police?
That is not true. For sometime now, this administration has reinforced courses in the Police. When people now go on courses/ training and retraining programmes, they are told that everything has been provided for them.
The officers that take part, as well as oversee the training programmes are equally taking care of that to eliminate avenues for corrupt practices.
Basic logistics are also provided. You see that we have a lot of patrol vehicles on the roads, which are fueled by the Police.
Most of the commands working with the state government from time to time do fuel them, although we sometimes have challenge of scarcity of funds, especially at the command level.
That is not true. For sometime now, this administration has reinforced courses in the Police. When people now go on courses/ training and retraining programmes, they are told that everything has been provided for them.
The officers that take part, as well as oversee the training programmes are equally taking care of that to eliminate avenues for corrupt practices.
Basic logistics are also provided. You see that we have a lot of patrol vehicles on the roads, which are fueled by the Police.
Most of the commands working with the state government from time to time do fuel them, although we sometimes have challenge of scarcity of funds, especially at the command level.
But that does not also translate to people openly demanding for mobilisation, as you have said.
It is not possible that you have a big organisation with over 100, 000 people and you are not going to have people of different characters. We have people who will conform and we have few of them that will not conform.
In most cases, if you go to Police stations, nobody will ask you for anything and if they do that, you have a platform where you can make your complaints.
It is not possible that you have a big organisation with over 100, 000 people and you are not going to have people of different characters. We have people who will conform and we have few of them that will not conform.
In most cases, if you go to Police stations, nobody will ask you for anything and if they do that, you have a platform where you can make your complaints.
The problem is that people are not patient enough when they have problems with men on the road or in the station. There are other senior officers they can approach in that station, such as the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Divisional Crime Officer (DC), administration officers, traffic officer, patrol and guard officers.
You can always go and meet them and tell them your experience on the spot there and they will solve that problem for you. But the problem with some of us is that we are not patient.
You can always go and meet them and tell them your experience on the spot there and they will solve that problem for you. But the problem with some of us is that we are not patient.
The officers are there for you. If you have any problem, go and complain.
Also, the press should continue to publish positive aspects of the Police operations, not the negative ones alone.
Some of these negative ones are been over-emphasised unnecessarily and people now lay hold on these negative stories published about the Police.
Also, the press should continue to publish positive aspects of the Police operations, not the negative ones alone.
Some of these negative ones are been over-emphasised unnecessarily and people now lay hold on these negative stories published about the Police.
We need the support of the press to assist us in our efforts to regain the confidence of the public in our ability to protect them.
I want to assure the public that we are there for them and their protection.
I want to assure the public that we are there for them and their protection.
What advice do you have for the public?
The public should see us as a partner. Security is a collective responsibility; it is not just the work of the Police alone, neither is it the work of the government alone. All of us must collaborate on the issue of security.
The public should see us as a partner. Security is a collective responsibility; it is not just the work of the Police alone, neither is it the work of the government alone. All of us must collaborate on the issue of security.
That is why we are emphasising this issue of community partnership with the Police. I want to solicit for the cooperation of the public, so that they will avail us of information about what is happening in their respective places.
What about protecting the informants?
The only protection we do, which is most important, is to make sure nobody knows the source of our information and when it is necessary to protect such person, we always do so.
The only protection we do, which is most important, is to make sure nobody knows the source of our information and when it is necessary to protect such person, we always do so.
What about the issue of ‘sacred cows?’
With what is happening now in the country, we can tell you there is no sacred cow. We don’t have sacred cows; whoever commits an offence will be brought to book, unless that offence is not known.
Once an offence is known to the Police, it taken up and we use all constitutional means to bring any culprit to justice.
With what is happening now in the country, we can tell you there is no sacred cow. We don’t have sacred cows; whoever commits an offence will be brought to book, unless that offence is not known.
Once an offence is known to the Police, it taken up and we use all constitutional means to bring any culprit to justice.
How do you motivate officers that have distinguished themselves on the job?
Those who have done well are encouraged. We say it openly in the presence of everybody that these people have done exceptionally well.
We also announce their names. It is not only monetary rewards alone that motivate people; mere recognising what they have done is enough motivation.
We write to the Force headquarters to let them know those that have distinguished themselves and positive things they have done and the headquarters normally reply with letters commending such people.
Those who have done well are encouraged. We say it openly in the presence of everybody that these people have done exceptionally well.
We also announce their names. It is not only monetary rewards alone that motivate people; mere recognising what they have done is enough motivation.
We write to the Force headquarters to let them know those that have distinguished themselves and positive things they have done and the headquarters normally reply with letters commending such people.
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