Extortion: PSC Mulls Different Uniforms For Constabularies
DISTURBED by the pervasive extortion among officers of the Nigeria Police Force the Police Service Commission (PSC) has recommended a total overhaul of the constabulary unit of the Force including giving its officers a new uniform.
A statement released by the Head of the Press and Public Relations Unit of the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, on Thursday, 28 December 2023, said the Commission demanded that constabularies be given different uniforms from the conventional Police for better identification and tracking of its officer’s activities.
“The Commission calls for an entirely different set of uniforms for officers of the outfit that should be easily differentiated from that of the regular Police officers.
“This, it noted, will help to track appropriately the conduct of men of the outfit and that of the regular Police officers and free the Nigeria Police Force from blames associated with the misconduct of men of the outfit,” Ani noted in the statement.
He also disclosed that the PSC had contacted the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, about the need to effect these changes and disband the unit in states where its officers are unpaid.
The Commission also condemned the non-payment of salaries to the officers, describing it as a dangerous move to deprive people given access to arms of payment.
“The Commission has observed that these set of men have descended on innocent Nigerians for their daily upkeep through forceful extortion and intimidation.
“Chairman of the Commission Dr 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,” the statement further read.
The constabulary unit was introduced in the country in 2019. The unit was formed to assist with community policing in Nigeria, with plans to recruit about 20,000 personnel into the unit within five years.
By 2020, the unit deployed its first set of constables to local governments after they had gone through some training.
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