ON assumption of office some weeks ago, the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar took a number of steps in trying to readdress some of the very critical issues that confront the Nigeria Police. First, he ordered the dismantling of all police checkpoints  nationwide.

Then he announced his intention to give the Force a new image. Apart from his emphasis on human rights, he also decided that the uniform of the Police should be changed. To show how serious he was about this, he started modeling (“test-running”) what looks like a military camouflage with white, black, and a shade of grey in between.

This was yet another change of colour by the police. In recent times, we have seen the Nigeria Police change its uniform from navy blue top and black pants to an all black outfit. From that, senior officers were given sky blue tops upon black pants. And now this.

The Nigeria Police is about the only one of our security agencies that has kept changing uniforms in attempts at reducing its battered public image. According to Abubakar, President Goodluck Jonathan gave his approval for this change of colour.

IGP  Abubakar, more than any other Nigerian, knows that the problem of the police is more than a uniform  change. Hence his efforts must be geared to making the Police a more dignified, efficient, humane, friendly, and publicly acceptable public service organisation.

What is it that makes the force to consistently excel any time its officers and men were posted outside the country?  Yes, a change in uniform could help the police image. But more urgently, something must be done about the decrepit living and working conditions our policemen have lived with since the end of colonial rule. Virtually every police station is grimy, lice-infested and generally not fit for human habitation.

Also, the police barracks have not been upgraded from what the colonial masters left behind. They are not maintained and the age-old tradition of keeping military and law enforcement environments spic and span is no longer adhered to. Police vans, where they exist, are always looking battered and ill-maintained.

So, what difference will it make if a policeman walks out of such horrible living environ-ments wearing the new camouflage? The camouflage looks great on the IG. It is left to be seen how it will look on policemen on the beat one year down the line!

Poor remuneration is another major obstacle to an efficient police organization which the new police czar must confront.

The acting Inspector General has shown a great zeal at reforming the police.  This is an onerous task but with a perspicuity of focus and a singular determination to make a difference, to turn around not just the image of the police but also its morale and operational efficiency, we believe he will succeed.

He has all our support. The hope is that at the end of his tenure, he will leave behind a highly motivated police force, one we can all be proud of.