Most people have had uncomfortable experiences with the officers of the Nigerian Police. However, irrespective of your experience or what you know about the police, the primary duties of the police are clearly stated out. But you don’t need to get your hand on the Constitution before you learn of their primary duties. In this article, we have explained some of the primary duties of the police, their vision and their missions for you.
The Nigeria Police is the foremost law enforcement agency in Nigeria. The Nigerian Police force has a staff strength of more than 350,000 officers and they are currently planning to increase the force strength to 650,000. The motto of the Nigerian Police Force is “Police is your friend”. The Nigerian police have been empowered according to the law to carry out some specific functions. These functions are listed below.
1. The power to arrest offenders
The Nigerian police have the authority to arrest anyone who commits a crime. But the arrest must be done in conformation to the regulations set by the Nigerian Constitution. An arrest can only be made if the crime said to have been committed goes against the tenants of the Nigeria constitution. Also, the crime or offence has to be within the jurisdiction of the Nigerian police. There are certain crime and offences that are not within the police jurisdiction. Example of such include crimes that are related to a traffic offence. There are other arms of security such as the Road Safety Officials, Vehicle Inspection Officers and traffic wardens responsible for dealing with such offences.
2. Preventing crime occurrences
Another primary duty of the Nigerian police is to prevent crimes from taking place in our environment, most especially when there are reports of impending crime or security issues in an area. In such areas, the Nigerian Police is responsible for deploying its officers to forestall possible breakdown of law and order. Also, police officers are placed on duty in strategic places in accordance with the law to maintain peace and order and prevent crime from happening. They work hand-in-hand with other arms of security such as the military in cases of National or territorial threat. In such cases, they are part of what is referred to as a Joint Task Force formed to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order.
READ ALSO: Nigerian police uniform history: from green-grey to black-black
3. Protecting the lives and the properties of the Nigerian citizens
The Nigerian police are also responsible for the protection of lives and properties of Nigerians. They are properly trained and well equipped with guns and ammunition to carry out this assignment. They carry out routine patrols of areas during the day and at night with the principal aim of making sure that the environment is safe and people are secure.
4. Detection of crime or a person who committed the crime
One of the major duties of the police force is to investigate matters when and where there has been a possibility of a crime committed. When a known crime has been committed but the offender is not known, the police has the authority to investigate the crime in order to discover the person or persons who committed it. The department of the Nigerian Police Force responsible for detecting criminal activities is known as the Criminal Investigation Department. Police officers in this department always undergo special training which will equip them to be able to detect a crime or a person even when it might not be obvious. Sometimes, they dress in mufti to blend in with the public so as to be undetected while they carry out their assignment.
5. Maintaining of law and order in the society
Every one of the duties of the police force is all to accomplish one primary goal which is maintaining law and order in the country. To maintain order and make sure that citizens obey the law thereby ensuring peace in the society. When a law is broken, they have the responsibility to arrest the offender as an example in order for law and order to be maintained.
The vision and mission statements of the Nigerian Police Force
The vision statement
The vision statement of the Nigerian police force is quoted as follows: “To make Nigeria safer and more secure for economic development and growth; to create a safe and secure environment for everyone living in Nigeria.”
The mission of the Nigerian Police Force
- The Nigeria Police force is a partner to other relevant security agencies and also has the right to gather, collate and share information and intelligence with the purpose of ensuring the safety and the security of the nation.
- It can take part in efforts directed at addressing the root causes of crime in the society and at the same time making sure that a criminal act is investigated. So those criminals can be brought to justice in a fair and professional manner.
- Police foster an effective, efficient, highly motivated and well-trained workforce, with deliberate efforts aimed towards improving the welfare and capacity of all the members and officers of the Police Force.
- Police Force should be people-friendly and must respect and uphold the fundamental rights of every citizen of Nigeria.
- Police Force is gender-friendly and will give equal opportunity to the female officers and at the same time respect their peculiarities.
The Primary responsibilities of a Police officer
A police officer as an official representative of the government is trusted and should work within the law of the land. The powers of the officer are granted and dictated by the law. The primary responsibilities of a police officer include safeguarding lives and property, serving his/her community, protecting innocent people, keeping peace, justice, and equality, and ensuring the right of everyone to liberty.
The Nigerian Police has the right to arrest anyone who commits a crime but they do not have the powers to prosecute or punish the person. They are to charge such a person to court after they have been able to establish the crime committed.
READ ALSO: Who was the first inspector general of police in Nigeria?
Source: Zenithblog.com
0naze
No comments:
Post a Comment