By Adekunle Adekoya

Last week, a major change was made to occur in the leadership of the nation’s primary law-enforcement agency, the Nigeria Police Force. Alhaji Hafiz Ringim, erstwhile top cop, gave way for AIG Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, who became the new Inspector-General of Police.

Cyber Platform salutes and welcomes IGP MD Abubakar to the onerous task of policing Nigeria with all its complexities and especially, recent challenges.

However, our people say new brooms sweep clean, more than their worn predecessors. MD’s ascension affords the chance for a new breath of fresh air regarding management of security operations.

The fresh air I am writing about has to do with massive infusion of ICT into Police operations in Nigeria, and MD can use the opportunity of his fresh ascension to bring about a paradigm shift that will effectively bring Nigeria Police into the 21st century.

Wire Police stations

In particular, the present security challenges facing the nation present a positive pedestal from which the new IGP can launch. To begin with, all Police stations must be wired and equipped with computers, with secure servers linking to area command headquarters, state command headquarters, zonal command headquarters and national headquarters.

Operationally, any information gathered about any person or group of persons, including criminals, say in Lagos, should be on file and be accessible to an area commander in, say Bayelsa.

Apart from that, we should have progressed to the point that anybody who enters a police station, even if to see his brother who is a policeman, should be captured biometrically and be on record. If these could be done, criminals would have no hiding place as it would be futile to commit a crime in Adamawa and flee to Abia. Sooner or later, such a felon would be caught as his data, already on file, comes in handy.

Analog record-keeping

The issue is that critical information needed in security management, where available, is analog, isolated, and thus inaccesible. If a cadet in Police college needed an insight into the notorious Oyenusi’s operations, can he access the files? In fact, did we keep files on Oyenusi?

Also, the present approach to record-keeping is 19th century format and will no longer serve our purpose. On most charge counters in most Police stations nationwide will be found dog-eared exercise books, with a biro that has a long string at its rump. These should vanish, and be replaced with computer workstations, complete with cameras, like the type used during INEC and SIM card registration exercises

We can all recall last year’s riots in several parts of London, England, and how the deployment of ICTs enabled the Police to quickly arrest perpetrators. Very useful was the system of CCTV cameras installed all over London, through which shoplifters who hid under the riots to steal were apprehended. Which brings me to that issue, here.

During Chief Obasanjo’s second term as president, he announced a CCTV project for Abuja and Lagos, to start with. It can be recalled that a contract to that effect, worth US$470 million was awarded, with a down payment of 15 per cent. The new IGP, I think, should be interested in this contract and its status, as its implementation will help ease the burden of policing the country. More on ICT challenges for the new IGP later.