Uzokwe's Searchlight

I always marvel at how unkempt some of the policemen can be in their uniforms. Some do not see the need in washing, starching and ironing their uniforms resulting in very dirty and rumpled uniforms. I have even seen some in bathroom slippers while dressed in their uniforms! If the IG is concerned about appearance, and he should be, the first step is to mandate a certain standard in personal hygiene and penalize those who flout it. ... Physical fitness also falls under the realm of appearance.

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Monday, March 19, 2012



Alfred Obiora Uzokwe, P.E

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THE PROBLEM WITH THE POLICE IS LOW MORALE NOT THE UNIFORM

The new uniform as modeled by the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar

he Federal Government has approved a new camouflage uniform for the police. The new uniform was recently modeled by the acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar. The IGP explained that the advantage of the new police camouflage is that it will be cost effective to maintain, operationally durable and highly customized with security features to forestall impersonation. He added that the uniform will be environmentally friendly and is part of the government�s transformation agenda to carve a new image for the police.


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I always marvel at how unkempt some of the policemen can be in their uniforms. Some do not see the need in washing, starching and ironing their uniforms resulting in very dirty and rumpled uniforms. I have even seen some in bathroom slippers while dressed in their uniforms! If the IG is concerned about appearance, and he should be, the first step is to mandate a certain standard in personal hygiene and penalize those who flout it. Members of the police must always wash and iron their uniforms before wearing them for duty.

Physical fitness also falls under the realm of appearance. It is gratifying that for the first time, in the long history of the Nigerian police, we have an Inspector General that looks physically fit and hence smart in uniform. If anyone has to model the uniform, it is him. His physical appearance gives him the moral locus standi to go to police parade grounds and declaratively tell all the police chiefs that parading pot-bellies is no longer acceptable. They should all shape up or shape out. Physical fitness will not only improve appearance, it will enable our police men and women perform very well on duty. A physically fit policeman will take less time off from work as a result of illness. The other day, I read about two policemen that slumped where they were standing guard. If standing for a short period of time would make a policeman slump, how would that person react if he has to embark on a shootout with criminals that involve running and other forms of physical exertion?

Having said the above, it must be emphasized that there is more to a great police force than just uniform and physical fitness. Hence, the issue of replacing police uniform as a first step in police transformation agenda is a gross case of misguided priority. The IGP must do the needful first.

The greatest problem in the police force today, a problem that the IG should focus on if he wants real transformation, is the issue of poor morale. Low morale is the direct result of poor condition of service. We expect these men and women to perform miracles for us; catch criminals with their bare hands and take a bullet for the general population yet we fail to provide a condition of service that will boost their morale and make them give forth their best. We often forget that police men and women are human beings that have wives and husbands. We lose sight of the fact that they have children that go to school and hence need school fees. We feign ignorance of the fact that just like other Nigerians, they have relatives that they also have to help financially. Simply put, they are human and in accordance with Maslow�s hierarchy of needs, they need good shelter over their heads and good food on their tables. Without these, Nigerians might as well kiss all expectations good bye. Maslow tells us that only after a human being has satisfied the basic needs of food and shelter will the person start seeking self-actualization. In the case of the police, self-actualization includes being patriotic, looking smart, dressing well and being willing to take a bullet for Nigerians.

Back in November, on a visit to Nigeria, we drove by several police barracks. I paid particular attention to one of the barracks. It had dilapidated buildings with crumbling walls all over. Water damage, evidenced by dark marks, were all over the walls. Even though the dry season had already set in, one could see that plants were growing on parts of the walls that were exposed to the elements. Some had windows that seemed inoperable and some of the window openings were boarded up. These were residential quarters for our police force! They are expected to go home to these shanties, after a hard day�s work, get a good night�s sleep and be hale and hearty the next day to step out again and put forth their best for Nigeria. Just the mold that would be accumulating inside the buildings because of warmth and moisture is enough to cause prolonged pulmonary discomfort and downright sickness. How could the government of Nigeria, an oil nation, house the men and women responsible for the security of the citizens in an environment hardly conducive for living? Such an environment will always convey to the police force the fact that Nigeria does not care for them. That type of feeling is a morale killer. They will never be patriotic enough to want to take a bullet for the masses nor shun bribery and corruption.

Poor housing is not the only problem. We know that some of these men and women get salaries barely above the minimum wage yet they have children to feed and send to school. They have relatives to train and yes, they want to have their own cars and build homes in their villages. When they see that their salaries will never provide these necessary needs, they resort to bribery, corruption and extortion. We have read about several situations where policemen shoot citizens for not giving them �mandatory� N20 bribe at check points. For many, that N20 adds up and becomes their mainstay. One is not justifying corruption and extortion in the police force, but the IG must understand that as long as the condition of service for the police is poor, Nigeria will never get much out of many of them. He must address these issues head on before talking about new camouflage uniforms. Use the money to be spent on uniforms to embark on massive renovation of police housing units.

The other issue has to do with benefits. A policeman in the United States does his job knowing that if he falls in the line of duty, his family will not suffer because of good benefits. In this day and age of Boko Haram in Nigeria, many police men have fallen in the line of duty. Are their families being adequately taken care of? Probably not and that dampens morale.

The IG has said many times that the general attitude to work, of the police force, is far below minimum standard. He is correct but he must now right the obvious wrongs that lead to substandard performance. After that has been done, we can step into the self-actualization realm and start talking about new camouflage uniforms. For now, a hungry man is not interested in new uniforms whether camouflage or plain.

HERE I STAND