Policemen have been urged to imbibe the tenets of professionalism and discipline in their service to the Nigerians.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 6 Headquarters, Usman Gonma gave the charge when a paid a familiarization visit to the officers and men of the Cross River State Police Command in Calabar, the capital city.
Gonma, who superintends Akwa Ibom and Cross River States Command in south-south Nigeria, said that professionalism was essential to duty to avoid reprimand, stating “you all here must be very professional. You must behave like a policeman at any given time.
“In whatever duty or responsibility you are given; be it arrest, being on the beat and in the public, you must show people that you are a professional policeman. That is what we need. Professionalism should be your key word,” he charged.
The AIG frowned at the unprofessional processes adopted by some policemen during investigations, noting “I have observed that there are certain things done during investigations, which I do not like. So, we must change, we must do better investigations to avoid problems.”
Gonma also highlighted discipline as one of the virtues, the officers and men should imbibe, noted that self-discipline was needed for a better workforce rendering prompt services to citizens.
According to him, “if you have self-discipline, all other values would be easy to attain. Self-discipline is what keeps the job going. If you are indiscipline, you will do your duty with passion. You must take discipline as your cardinal principle, which should be imbibed.”
Human rights
On the issues of Human Rights Violations, the AIG Zone 6 emphasized the need for personnel to uphold the fundamental rights of citizens in accordance with the constitution.
Gonma stated, “we cannot pretend. The issues of human rights have come to stay and there is nothing we can do. We prayed for a democracy and we are in a democracy. There is no democracy without human rights. Any policeman, who still things that human rights issues are not serious needs to be educated.
“Nigerians are more educated and you cannot deprive them of human rights. So, whatever you do, do not forget human rights. People would always challenge you to show a warrant, tell them their offence and other questions. These are the rights of the people and you should act in accordance with the constitution,” he stated.
Stakeholder collaborations
Earlier, the Commissioner for Police, Cross River State, Aminu Alhassan welcomed the AIG to the command, which he noted “had an establishment strength of 5,626 – Males 4,333; Females 1,293 across 6 area commands.”
Alhassan described Cross River as the most peaceful in the Niger Delta despite threats such as “militancy, sea piracy, cultism, inter and intra communal clashes and pockets of kidnapping”
He noted that the command was constantly collaborating with security stakeholders and the public “through intelligence gathering, intensive foot and vehicular patrols as well as formation of Quick Response Squad.”
He further expressed the hope that the visit of the AIG would translate to more equipment and other logistics to intensify its fight against activities of those he described as economic saboteurs and miscreants.
The visit featured interactive sessions with officers and men of the Cross River Police Command and members of the police community relations committee.
