Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state has disagreed with the way and manner some Nigerians described the Nigeria Police force as been irresponsible in the course of discharging the lawful duties, saying not all Nigeria police officers are bad.
Obiano, who stated this while declaring a 4-days capacity building workshop for Police Public Relations Officer PRO’s at Golden Tulip Hotel Agulu in Anocha local government area of Anambra state, restated the commitment of state government to ensure the continued safety and security of lives and property in the state.
He noted that his administration will continue to seek ways to improve security in the entire Anambra communities.
The governor revealed the state readiness to launch an unprecedented security operation this week where state of art security equipment will be donated to the state police command to enhance crime-fighting, detection and prevention.
While welcoming the 36 state police PRO’s, Obiano, urged them to learn, unlearn and relearn such communication skills that will aid the effective repositioning of the force for greater service to humanity.
On his part, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed, A Adamu, who was represented by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of zone 9 Umohia, Mr Baba Tijjani, has described the Public Relations Department(PRO) of the Nigeria Police as very critical to the nations’ advancement, even as he assured of administration’s commitment to enhancing capacity of officers, win public trust and confidence.
Adamu blamed some negative behaviours of security operatives to what he called inactions by some personnel.
“Unarguably, certain indiscretions and perceived inactions by some personnel of the Force as well as the security challenges in some parts of the country impact negatively on the image of the Force.
“This reality coupled with the dynamic nature of crime, rapidly advancing information and communication technology, and the changing policing environment that we deal with in the line of our duty have combined to redefine both the concept of policing and the perception of the police by the citizens,” the IGP noted.
He said the workshop is part of his administration’s commitment to enhance the capacity of officers, adding that their primary responsibility it is to manage the image and information dissemination process towards repositioning the Nigeria Police, as well as changing the uninformed perceptions and faulty narratives about the Nigeria Police Force.
He added, “This is with a view to rebranding the Force, advancing our fortunes, and restoring our primacy within the internal security architecture of the nation. Indeed, experts have asserted that there is an intertwining relationship between public perception and the effectiveness of the Police to attain its internal security mandate.
“It is imperative that we continually equip the Police Public Relations Officers with necessary skills and knowledge to efficiently engage the public and effectively manage the image and perceptions about the Force.”
The IGP explained that the gathering included PPROs from the 36 States of the Federation, the FCT, 12 Zonal Police Public Relations Officers as well as Staff Officers of the Force Public Relations Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja. And that is the first conference since the creation of the Nigerian Police Force in 1930.
While commending the Anambra state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano for the hosting and sponsorship of the Training workshop, he equally described him as a lover of peace and security and a staunch supporter of the Police, just as he welcomed all participants to the program.
Speaking in an interview, one of the participants, the PPRO Cross River state, Ms Irene Ugbor described the training as worthwhile, adding “It is a rewarding exercise, it will help improve our communication skills and other areas that has to do with public relations.”
and then