The Police Service Commission has called for the disbandment of the Special Police Constabulary, particularly in areas where officers are not paid allowances.
Ikechukwu Ani, Head of Press and Public Relations, stated in a Wednesday statement that the aim was to overhaul the system, adding that “the Police Service Commission is no longer comfortable with the organisation and operations of the Special Police Constabulary nationwide.”
According to the statement, the commission is already in contact with the Inspector General of Police regarding the need to overhaul the organisation and operations of the outfit.
“There have been several reports of unprofessional conduct by officers of the outfit, a quasi-police formation created to assist in community policing,” it said.
“Reports of their unprofessional conduct range from high-handedness in dealing with citizens to bare-faced extortion on our roads and in communities,” it further added.
The Commission called for an entirely different set of uniforms for officers of the outfit, easily differentiated from that of regular police officers.
“This, it noted, will help to appropriately track the conduct of men of the outfit and that of regular police officers and free the Nigeria Police Force from blame associated with the misconduct of men of the outfit,” it said.
The Commission further called for the disbandment of the outfit in states where officers are not salaried and taken care of.
It noted that it was dangerous to arm a group of people and license them to provide security, maintain law and order in states and communities across the country without basic financial remuneration.
The Commission has observed that this set of men has descended on innocent Nigerians for their daily upkeep through forceful extortion and intimidation.
Chairman of the Commission, Solomon Arase, CFR, retired Inspector General of Police, said the Commission will work with the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force to sanitise the organisation and operations of the outfit.
Arase said there is an urgent need to differentiate the Special Constabulary from regular police officers and clearly define their operations, including uniforms and rules of engagement.
