The Nigeria Police Force said it had redeployed all Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Delta Command over professional misconduct.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Acting Commissioner of Police, ACP Olabisi Kolawole, disclosed this at a news conference to mark 100 days of establishment of the Compliant Response Unit (CRU) on Monday in Abuja.
“Several officers have been redeployed from duty posts including a total of DPOs by a police command,“ he said. Kolawole said the action was in response to complaints received from members of the public on misconduct of policemen.
She said that an Assistant Commissioner of police was also being investigated, 16 junior officers were facing disciplinary action for misconduct, while a traffic warden was dismissed. Kolawole said that Lagos had the highest complaints with 424, representing 33 per cent, while Imo, Jigawa and Kebbi had two each. She said that the platform was not aimed at castigating activities of police but to ensure international best practices.
The spokesperson added that beyond the feedback on police misconduct, there was the reassurance of the force’s commitment to prompt efficient service delivery. In a remark, Head of CRU, CSP Abayomi Shogunle, said the unit received 1,946 complaints, resolved 1,522, while investigation was ongoing into 291compalints and 133 were discarded for lack of evidence. He said that there was a considerable reduction in reporting police officers’ misconduct by members of the public. “`The force is worried about the low rate of complaints from the public, “he said. Shogunle said that the force would conduct a scientific research to ascertain the reason for the reduction. He said that the unit would ensure that Nigerians got the police they could “truly call their own’’. The CRU is a social media platform established through which members of the public can lodge their complaints and get feedback on police officers’ misconduct.
