The Inspector-General of Police (IG-P), Mr Solomon Arase, on Monday warned officers of the force against violating human rights in the course of their duties.
Arase gave this warning while speaking at the welcome programme organised by the state Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) for him in Osogbo.
According to him, any police operative who made the force to incur a court order following cases of human rights violations would be made to pay for it from his/her wages.
Arase particularly warned against indiscriminate arrest, long detention and extortion of suspects by some officers.
The IG-P enjoined policemen to always respect human rights, stressing that arrests “don’t have to be made before cases are investigate”.
He also cautioned policemen against collecting bribes from the public, saying that such acts made officers looked like beggars receiving alms.
“These bribes cannot translate into anything tangible,” he said.
Arase challenged the officers to set standards so that the public could respect them, stressing that investigations should be intelligence-driven.
Besides, he advised policemen against adopting custodial approach to policing and dabbling into civil cases as they could engage in arbitration and mediation instead of detaining individuals and demanding for surety for bail.
On return of check-points nationwide, Arase said it was a way of preventing crimes, adding that 36,000 officers were scheduled to attend promotion courses soon.
He said the force had lost 435 officers this year alone but commended the Osun state Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) for supporting the force and being well organised.
Mr Amitolu Shittu, the state Chairman of the (PCRC), commiserated with the IG-P on the loss of about 435 police officers.
Shittu prayed God to give the family of the deceased fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
The chairman commended the IG-P for addressing the issue of insurgents in parts of the Northern region since he assumed office as well as the issue of cultism, kidnapping and other related criminal activities.
He, however, demanded for the creation of five additional Area Commands to increase the number of the existing area commands in the state to eight. (NAN)
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