The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase, said that the commission and the Nigeria Police Force are going through a challenging period of their existence.
According to him, crime across the world has become highly scientific, requiring those involved in combating it (the police) to adopt a scientific approach.
Ikechukwu Ani, Head of Press and Public Relations, stated on Sunday that oversight responsibilities have become vast and challenging.
He also noted that the commission needs proper equipment and training to succeed in its assignment.
The statement quoted Arase as making this disclosure during a meeting with a delegation from the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria, led by Dr. Iliaysu Buba Gashinbaki, the Institute’s Pioneer President and Chairman of the Governing Council.
The meeting took place at the corporate headquarters of the commission in Jabi, Abuja.
“The PSC Chairman mentioned cyberbullying, criminal financial/banking attacks, and other complex crimes threatening various sectors of the nation’s fledgling democracy,” the statement said.
He noted that both the Police and the Commission need to quickly step up to contain these emerging challenges. He added that these two government agencies should also be properly equipped and trained to successfully carry out their constitutional mandates.
He insisted that policing should be more visible at the local level, especially at the Divisional centers that have unfortunately been abandoned, creating a lot of ungoverned spaces where non-state actors have taken over.
He said there is a need for continuous recruitment of policemen to populate the communities and regain control over the ungoverned spaces to restore security of lives and properties across the nation.
Arase said the commission will partner with the Institute to combat the menace of the emerging financial and other crimes in the country.
He added that he advocates outsourcing skills that are lacking in a system. He promised that officials of the Institute would be used as resource persons at Police Colleges, exposing trainees to cybercrime and other complex crime prevention at that level.
Earlier, Gashinbaki commended the PSC Chairman for the excellent work he has brought to the Commission, undoubtedly a product of his impeccable record in the Nigeria Police Force, where he rose to the highest office of the Inspector General.
He noted that the Institute will be ready to work with the Commission in its mandate responsibilities of Police Recruitment, Promotion, and Discipline, and more importantly, in investigation.”