Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

The Muhammadu Buhari government will employ 10,000 police officers and create a Multi-Agency Task Force as part of measures to address challenges of insurgency in the country in a sustainable manner, President Muhammadu Buhari said in Abuja on Monday.

The President who said this while declaring open a one day security summit organized by the Nigeria Police Force also used the occasion to itemize the various reforms his administration will pursue to ensure that the Police is empowered to response to the security challenges confronting the country.

The President also commended Solomon Arase, the Inspector General of Police over the various reforms he had initiated since his appointment.

The President revealed in his opening speech that the government is already making efforts to enhance the operational capacity of the Police through a tailor made-made training programme that will give officers the right civil orientation in their roles as guardians of the constitution.

He also revealed that to further strengthen the security of the public space, government is giving consideration to expansion of the CCTV Monitoring System across major cities and towns in the country, while the police accountability mechanism will be strengthened.

President Buhari added that in appreciation of the strategic role of the citizens and the community in modern policing, his administration will encourage States to look at State-level Community inter-acting with police under a model that will integrate members of the community to policing functions at the grassroots level.

The President who expressed hope that the National Security Summit will develop pathways for the attainment of the policy focus of his administration on policing also commended the Solomon Arase led Police leadership over some of the initiatives it has introduced since coming into office.

In this vein, the President commended the IGP’s dismantling of road blocks which he noted “have consistently constituted a dark side of policing and object of discord between the police and the citizens of this country.”

“The initiatives of the Inspector-General of Police to also introduce the ‘Safer Highway Motorised Patrol’ Scheme and deploy 555 Patrol Vehicles along all major highways to fill the void created by the enforcement of the order dismantling road blocks is also acknowledged as a proactive action meant to reassure citizens of their safety and security.

“In addition, I also note the commitment of the Force leadership to uphold and enforce Chapter IV of the constitution and commit officers of the Force to the adherence to all United Nations and African Union Charters and other regional global instruments on Human Rights while also introducing Alternative Dispute Resolution procedures to policing functions.

The President assured that his administration will bequeath a reformed, re-oriented, well trained, well-equipped and highly motivated Police Force to the nation.
But he noted that the dream can only be achieved with the support of the citizens.
“This remains a sacred civic responsibility which all citizens owe this country, especially at this time that we are re-energising our counterterrorism initiatives and working very hard to protect the citizens from crime and guarantee the safety and security of all Nigerians,” said the President.

While speaking at the National Summit which has as its theme Community Partnership Approach to Internal Security and Crime Management, Arase emphasized that the Police need adequate funding to be able to meet the huge logistic demand of the modern day police.

“Through effective funding, the welfare needs of police personnel will be met and the challenge of corruption that has eroded professionalism and public respect for police will be addressed,” he said.

In this vein, the IGP said the Bill on Police Trust Fund which seeks to tax corporate entities to complement the Federal Government in funding the police should be given a fresh consideration.

He also advocated that the security challenges in the country and problems of inadequate manpower of the Police can be addressed through citizens-driven policing model.

“This model will address the manpower deficiency challenge in the Nigeria Police as every citizen plays the role of a police officer,” he said.