Magnus Eze, Enugu
A coalition of civil society organisations will soon begin to publish weekly report of abuses perpetrated by police officers, station by station, in the Enugu State Police Command.
Coordinator of Human Right Volunteer Corps (HVC), Larry Oguego, disclosed this at a capacity building workshop organised by the Nigeria Policing Project (NPP) for station and charge room officers drawn from 14 divisions in the Metro Area Command of Enugu.
Oguego indicated that the group was already collating data that would be used for the authoritative publication, which according to him, would further entrench the community policing campaign in the state.
He warned police officers against torturing suspects, describing it as immoral, and also charged them to always respect people’s right to fair hearing, and access to their lawyers, among others.
“You are the first line of action in any station. So, you are the image of the police. I, therefore, charge you to uphold professionalism at all times,” the rights activist stated.
Focal person of the NPP, Oliver Amaechi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, said the training was part of efforts to further strengthen the concept of community policing in the state.
He urged the participants to see themselves as very critical group in the administration of criminal justice system hence, they should not in the discharge of their duties, allow themselves to be influenced unduly by even superior officers.
In his remarks, the state intervention lead of NPP, Solomon Akpanufot, said that if the station and charge room officers could imbibe the principle of community policing, the delivery of their job would aid effective and efficient policing in all the divisions.