By Christopher Oji
A non-governmental organization, Global Rising International has charged police officers to change their attitudes for good so as to change the narratives by the members of the public who see them as evil.
The charge was given at the weekend during the 6th edition of workshop by GRI organised for senior Police officers at the Police officers’s Mess, Ikeja, Lagos .
The convener of the workshop, Apostle Kalu Azu , said it was imperative that police officers should begin to live good life to change the narratives by the members of the public who see them as evil,” after this workshop, start leading a good life. Let the change that we are talking about begin from individual officer here present and it will trickle down to your subordinates. When dealing with individual and he sees that you did not do what he was expecting from you, he will be the one to announce that he met a sincere police officer, so let the change begin today”.
Azu charged the government to prioritize the welfare of police officers, aiming to boost their morale and enhance their effectiveness in safeguarding the life and property of citizens.
Apostle Kalu, emphasized the importance of changing the mindset of police officers through Programmes that encourage them to perform their duties effectively.
He expressed concern for the well-being of the Nigerian police and highlighted the need to improve their lives while they serve the community.
“I believe their lives are supposed to be an imitation of the people they are trying to safeguard, but I found out that some of the things they do are not too good,”
He stressed the significance of addressing issues such as low salaries and lack of proper care for officers, noting that these factors can impact their ability to perform their duties adequately.
Global Rising International, as an NGO, has taken the initiative to contribute to the improvement of police officers’ lives.
Azu mentioned their efforts, including providing books to libraries and organizing training sessions to bring about positive change.
He expressed hope that these efforts would influence a positive shift in the behavior and performance of the police force.
Azu also revealed that the mission of Global Rising goes beyond training, as plans to provide desktop computers for police stations, aiming to streamline data management and transition away from paper-based processes.
He acknowledged that the effort made on the training so far has been a personal investment and called for support from the government and other stakeholders to expand the training to other agencies.
“I urged the government to take a look at how to support this initiative so that the police officers can benefit more”.
Mr. Simon Afolabi, a clergyman and facilitator at the workshop, emphasized the importance of boosting the morale of police officers. He highlighted the societal tendency to overlook the sacrifices made by the police and encouraged appreciation for their role in maintaining order.
Afolabi suggested that the government play a crucial role in improving police welfare, starting from the recruitment stage and addressing issues such as mobility and housing for serving officers.
He called for increased attention to the welfare of officers, while staring that a well-supported police force is better equipped to serve and protect the community effectively.