The Acting Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Usman Alkali,on Thursday gave reasons why the clamour for state police is unnecessary.
The clamour for state police topped demands at zonal public hearings on constitution review held by the Senate on Tuesday.
Baba, who featured at the weekly media briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, said state police, as being canvassed by different interest groups nationwide, already existed in different forms in many states of the federation.
He also said the police commands in both the South-east and the South-south had been reinforced with the posting of additional 3,700 officers and men there since the establishment of Operation Restore Peace in the area in April. He added that the new security strategy has resulted in the arrest of 1,166 high-profile suspects.
Alkali wondered what the demand was all about again when most states already run structures regarded as their own local police.
Apart from the local police structures, like the various vigilante groups supported by state governments, he stated that the police supported states in preventing and fighting crimes by training more than 70,000 citizens nationwide.
He, however, said the National Assembly was in a better position to look into the demand for state police.
His words: “State policing is an issue. I remember, as far back as 1998, I think I had a project in one of our courses, writing on the desirability of state policing and the issue has been reoccurring, but now I think it is more.
“If you look at it technically, I doubt if there is any state that does not have state police even now. What do I mean? There are creations that are done by state governments to assist law enforcement agencies in trying to maintain law and order, or enforce regulations or laws that are created by state governments.
“We have vigilante everywhere in this country. We have various types of organisations that have been created by state governments to assist in policing. Some of them had even House of Assembly laws that guide their operations.
“The space is open to everybody. We even always say policing is not a matter of the Nigerian police or the Nigerian law enforcement agents; everybody can be involved in policing.
“But I want to know the shape that the advocates of state police want it to take and it is an issue that is left for lawmakers and the government.
“We are ready to work with anybody. We are ready to collaborate and synergise with anybody to make sure that Nigerian citizens enjoy the best of protection.
“If you look at it, the community policing aspect, we have trained over 70,000 Nigerians from all states of the federation to assist in crime prevention and control.
“In fact, we have even gone to the extent of using the Police Act to kit them with police uniform that will give them identification as a spy. That is to say, all those who are trained are to go back and assist in policing within their own locality. You have policing capability and powers ends within your community and it is the community that we suggest who and who will be involved in such a business and we are working with them.
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