Police Reform: CSO Harps On Political Will, Public Trust

A civil society organisation known for public safety, security, and justice, CLEEN Foundation have stated that there will always be hitches in reforming the nation’s policing structure if there is a lack of political will to achieve the desired results and objectives to propel the reform policy.

Speaking at the policy brief presentation on citizen engagement in policing reform and accountability of justice sector actors presented by CLEEN Foundation and MacArthur Foundation in Lagos, the Programme Director for CLEEN Foundation, Hashim Salaudeen, remarked that more needs to be done to transform the country’s policing infrastructure so that it can safeguard lives and property.

He remarked that effective and functional police and policing systems prioritising oversight, integrity, personnel professionalism, and Institutional accountability require efficient spending, public trust, and demonstration of professionalism and integrity.

He noted that while the state’s first order is to protect the citizens, the citizens believe that for policing to be very effective, oversight must be strengthened.

There must be some internal strengthening of the system, as personnel must be well-equipped and well-trained in effective policing institutions.

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Salaudeen said, “The system is making all the efforts to put a reform pathway that the people will own. But again, there are also tactical-level challenges that are set back. Those tactical-level challenges are those everyday police officers who interface with people who don’t share the vision with the strategic-level officers. And I think that divide and contrast is where the challenge truly lies.

“While modern policing requires that there must be some level of parity and balancing, the policing infrastructure has what they call the gender desk. But again, the laws are not saying the same thing, as they differ.”

He affirmed that the nation can only achieve adequate and sustainable human security by examining the entire pyramid, which complements the human security component, which is the issue of economic security.