…Checked Police brutality, excesses of SARS

By Kingsley Omonobi – Abuja

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the country on Wednesday said they have resolved to support the appointment of Retired IGP, Solomon Arase as the Chairman, Police Service Commission (PSC) because as IGP, he took rare and reassuring steps to curtail the excesses of policemen including the setting up of the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) while also ensuring promotions of deserving personnel as well as postings in the force followed standardized procedure.

The CSOs in a joint statement signed by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre RULAAC and Rights Enforcement and Public Law Center (REPLACE), said, “When Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase assumed office as IGP, one of the rare and reassuring steps he took was to set up a Strategy Advisory Committee comprising police officers and representatives of CSOs, media and other critical stakeholders.  That was an indication of a commitment to effective leadership

“He set up the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) which is an improvement on existing public complaints mechanisms by  introducing the use of technology and expanding the platforms through which members of the public could send complaints of police misconduct and receive timely feedback.

“Succeeding IGPs have not given the CRU the support it received under Arase which made it work effectively and efficiently then. The CRU has a committed and professional minded leadership but lacks police management support.

“Arase, upon assuming office as IGP, espoused the vision of modern and democratic policing that is transparent, responsible, accountable and respectful of human rights.

“He initiated the very first set of measures to check police brutality, especially the excesses of SARS. He split SARS into 2 units with one to handle arrest and the other to handle investigation.

“But most of his initiatives and efforts to entrench a culture of discipline and accountability were not sustained by his successors

“We are aware of how his efforts to rein in some notorious SARS commanders against whom were frequent and high numbers of complaints were frustrated by political interference.

Continuing, they said, “We will support Arase to succeed hoping that under him, the urgently needed reforms of the PSC which started last year with a bill to review the establishment Act will be pushed through under his leadership.

“These reforms revolve around leadership qualification and appointment procedure, strengthening the investigative powers and competences of the PSC and streamlining the mandate of the PSC with regards to police recruitment and appointment, discipline and promotion.

“We congratulate him not because we have shifted from our position against the practice of appointment of serving or retired Police officers as Chairman of the PSC. We remain firmly committed to our  campaign against the appointment of retired police officers as chairmen of the PSC.

“Arase remains the most serious minded and intellectually grounded advocate of intelligence driven policing, of all the IGPs before and after him.

“We know Arase stands out and can make the difference.  We believe that Arase can make the PSC work because it’s Arase. But there are very few like Arase.

“This is why we must, going forward, adopt and stick to the standard best practice that the PSC, being a civilian external oversight and accountability mechanism for the police, is better headed, not by a serving or retired police officer.  We hope Arase will be the last retired police chief to be appointed to head the PSC.”

“We, the undersigned civil society organizations spread across Nigeria congratulate IGP Solomon Arase on his appointment as the new Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC)