Police is supposed to be your friend, and is supposed to be the first line of protection, security and compassion. However, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) which used to be one of the friendliest organisations in the world, increasingly admits rogue elements, who are not oriented towards being friendly towards the general public. Indeed there are unending calls for their name to be changed to “Nigeria Police Service” so as to highlight the fact that they are meant to be providing a public service rather than employing force against citizens.

In truth, the rank and file of the NPF appear far more concerned with extorting, bullying, terrorising, and killing innocent Nigerians at their whim, than serving the public by enforcing the law. The full meaning of police is “Public Officer for Legal Investigations and Criminal Emergencies”.

Worldwide, the police have five functions namely; the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property, and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which they are directly charged. In Nigeria, there is a sixth function, which is to collect money by all means! This is done by either renting their services out to those who can afford it, or simply introducing more “crimes” through which they can extort from members of the public. The latest fad is the new requirement to present a certificate of insurance for motor vehicle to the police, even though checking vehicle particulars is the job of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

As for renting out their services it’s shameful that it has become a status symbol for those who can afford it, regardless of the source of their wealth, to surround themselves with a plethora of uniformed policemen who act as door openers, bag carriers, car washers and house-helps ready to brutalise anybody at the command of their paymasters.

Even as police top echelons deny reports that the rank and file is the worst in the world, they fail to realise that their denial is a major reason why the situation is not improving. Undoubtedly, there are some efficient, patriotic and compassionate members of the NPF, but they are few and far between. The reason why Nigerians view the police as their enemy is because of their penchant for demanding bribes, illegal bail, infringement upon human rights and brutality.

Many policemen act outside the law because the Force Public Relations Officer stated quite controversially that the police have the power to break into any house or place where they are “reasonably convinced” an offence is being committed because the law empowers the police to break into homes without a search warrant!! This is hogwash because legal duties cannot be carried out using illegal methods and it is in complete contravention of Section 37 of the 1999 constitution which states quite clearly that “the privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communication is hereby guaranteed and protected”.

Not only do police routinely carry out unconstitutional actions which breach citizens’ rights, they habitually forcefully enter private houses by scaling the fence while wearing face masks, dressed more like armed robbers than policemen. Lamentably, police uniform is no longer proof of legal authority because criminals, bandits, kidnappers and terrorists operate using police uniforms and in addition,n legally appointed policemen are routinely dismissed for committing illegalities while in uniform.

To make matters worse, law enforcement agencies are becoming notorious for gestapo-like midnight raids on private residences and hotels, scaling over fences in the manner of armed robbers, kidnappers or assassins rather than simply ringing the front doorbell and waiting for a reply! To complicate the situation is the issue of self-defence against law officers which came to light when a licensed gun owner defended himself and his family by opening fire and killing a security operative who barged into his compound at night without a search or arrest warrant.

Indeed, because Nigerians are used to policemen behaving erratically, many armed robbers dress in police uniforms to commit their nefarious acts. Although citizens have the right to defend themselves or seek legal recourse when they experience mistreatment from law enforcement agents, lawyers who have won various cases against police illegalities have cried out over serial non-payment of their judgment debts.

There is no doubt that the NPF needs to be totally overhauled and equipped with a modern policing ideology with a sincere commitment to the rule of law and fundamental human rights.

Of course, the totally unacceptable number of policemen killed while on duty and the shabby treatment of their widows and children is more than enough to de-motivate the rank and file. One of the most lamentable issues surrounding the NPF is insufficient funds which has been identified as a major reason why Nigerian police resort to either obtaining by force or unashamed begging.

The NPF requires massive restructuring and enforcement of discipline in order to regain public respect and friendship.