Inspector General of Police Olukayode Egbetokun has urged AIGs and commissioners, as well as forced spokespersons, to distribute timely and accurate information on police achievements.

Mr Egbetokun stated this on Thursday in Abuja during a conference with strategic police managers, consisting of officers from the rank of commissioner and above.

He said effective collaboration among strategic police managers, comprising zonal AIGs, commissioners, and their respective spokespersons, was central to the police’s success.

“The dissemination of timely and accurate information regarding our achievements at the grassroots level is pivotal in fostering public trust and confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.

“It is incumbent upon us to maintain transparency and accountability in our communication efforts, ensuring that the public is well-informed about our endeavours to maintain law and order.

“All Strategic Managers are therefore charged to improve on this salient professional relationship to project all our achievements,” he said.

He said the idea was to improve public confidence in the police and bridge the trust gap between the police and the public.

Mr Egbetokun said the Nigeria Police was conducting a comprehensive review of the police regulations and introducing a scheme of service for the force.

According to him, these critical undertakings aim to modernise our legal framework to align with contemporary policing standards backed by the Police Act 2020.

He said the focus was enhancing officers’ and men’s welfare and professional development and fostering a culture of excellence and accountability within the police.

Mr Egbetokun said the police, under his leadership, were poised to prioritise personnel welfare. He said the Force had successfully, through unrelenting efforts, secured the release of insurance claims of deceased police officers, which had accumulated for about eight years.

“We have in the last nine months cumulatively presented cheques amounting to N7.3 billion to 2,514 families of deceased police officers. The Force has recently concluded the registration process of the NPF Insurance Company Limited with the Corporate Affairs Commission and we are steadily progressing towards the operationalisation of the company.

“The new company will aid the processing of our insurance funds directly from the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and the Central Bank of Nigeria,” he said.

He said this culminated in protests and demand for exit from the Contributory Pension Scheme.

Mr Egbetokun said the situation had not only been a source of apprehension for serving officers in the past few years but also consistently made the force uncomfortably visible in the media.

The police chief said the force leadership was working on a scheme to end the agitations and put smiles on the lips of every police officer, serving or retired.

Mr Egbetokun said the force arrested 3,685 suspects over various criminal offences, rescued 401 kidnapped victims and recovered 216 firearms, 3,601 ammunition and 82 vehicles nationwide in the last eight weeks.

He said the force recorded 141 cases of terrorism, secessionist attacks, 537 murders, 126 armed robberies, 214 kidnappings and 39 unlawful possession of firearms within the period under review.

The inspector general of police said the substantial advancement was propelled by the execution of diverse strategies to mitigate the escalating trend of criminal activities across the country. 

(NAN)