Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Dr Solomon Arase, said clashes between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the PSC over recruitment of constable is unhealthy and unhelpful.
Arase stated this yesterday when he constituted a special team of retired police officers, tasked with the responsibility of managing any conflict between the commission and the NPF.
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After the team was constituted, Arase, said the rift between the commission and NPF had aggravated the level of distrust for the force, adding that the development was unhealthy and unhelpful to the national security of the country.
He said, “It is no news that these two critical institutions of government have engaged in a seemingly perennial conflict of power and interest, which started from disputations over roles and responsibilities and regrettably compounded and snowballed into legal contestations.
“This unsavoury situation is neither commendable nor favourable to our national security, as both institutions have shared commonalities, and will deliver more efficiently on their respective mandates if there is mutual reinforcement, rather than acrimonious relationship anchored on preconceptions, misconceptions, prejudices and distrust against each other.”
The PSC chairman, however, said the newly created forum, which has majorly retired commissioners of police as its members, aims at providing a veritable platform to the retired officers to critically examine contemporary issues and challenges affecting the police.
He cautioned against disrespecting the office of the IGP, and stated that the think-tank team is also expected to recommend pragmatic and actionable solutions and responses, for optimal functionality of the force in delivering on its mandate.
Arase said, “In the performance of my duty as the chairman, PSC, I must admit, however, that the operational knowledge and independence of the inspector-general of police must be respected, without also conceding or undermining the powers of oversight of the commission over the police.
“It is in the spirit of my averred belief of seeing the NPF and PSC work cordially and harmoniously well for the overall betterment of the Nigeria Police Force, reinforced by my decision to focus on Security Sector Reforms (SSR) through training and retraining programmes that I deemed it necessary to form a community of retired police officers, named; Retired Officers Consultative Forum, that will act as the think tank for the Force and PSC, through dispassionate interrogation of issues, generation of ideas and proffering solutions on issues of SSR.
“The Forum, therefore, aims at providing a veritable platform to the retired officers to critically examine contemporary issues and challenges affecting the NPF, and recommend pragmatic and actionable solutions and responses, for optimal functionality of the Force in delivering on its mandate.
“It will also avail us the opportunity to leverage on our experiential knowledge, and advise the PSC and NPF on policies and measures that will not only ensure a harmonious working relationship between the two institutions, but also reposition the NPF for greater efficiency and effectiveness in restoring its primacy in internal security in Nigeria.”