The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday said it would take appropriate disciplinary measures against any police personnel caught compromising the integrity of the forthcoming general election.
Najaatu Mohammed, a member of the commission, said the police must remain apolitical and discharge their duties diligently and professionally.
The commissioner also urged all other stakeholders to operate within the confines of the law, so as to make policing the elections easier.
NAN reports that Mohammed, who spoke in Kaduna at a stakeholders meeting organized by the PSC on the 2019 elections, said the general public must also support policemen to discharge their duties responsibly.
“The NPF is foremost agency tasked with providing visible security during the election, thus, the PSC is therefore very interested in how the police conduct themselves in this all important task of ensuring the credibility of the process.
“PSC will ensure that best practices in postings are carried out towards this election in order to strengthen our democracy,” she said.
Mohammed further said that “the commission will not hesitate to act on any complaint that arises from the public as a result of any illegality.”
She stressed that the police must remain alert, be approachable, professional, impartial and fair during the elections.
She added that they could only use force when absolutely necessary and must remain in constant communication with their superiors.
The PSC official stressed that policemen on election duty were expected to have good knowledge of electoral law, wear uniform and identification tags in a visible manner.
Muhammad said the PSC was well aware of past allegations of unprofessional conduct by errant members of the police force in previous elections.
“For this other reason, the PSC will set up and create awareness hotlines for complaints by citizens.
“We urge Nigerians to report acts of indiscipline and lack of professionalism by any member of the force to the commission for quick resolution.”
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