“Sanctions are definitely not to hold brief for the wrongs an offender must have committed — particularly, criminal misconduct which should be frowned upon and met with stiff punishment. Sanctions are indubitably supposed to be punishing but above all, corrective and reparative when it has to do with professional misconduct. It is to this end, it behooves on the force and its principal officers to devise and deploy punishing measures that are yet corrective to erring police officers and reparative to the image of the force.”
It will be impactful the subject of sanction in the Nigeria Police Force is not papered over for the umpteenth time, but rather addressed significantly, specifically and sustainably to the holistic benefit of the force, other than taking, every now and then, to the hackneyed and now-default response of ‘dismissal’ to erring police officers.
Having been privileged to have served in the force, and consequentially privy to the ingenious and prudent operations of some high-ranking police officers, I recall a defining moment during my service in respect to how sanctions were handled and handed down without the force or its members losing on all fronts.
Sanctions are definitely not to hold brief for the wrongs an offender must have committed — particularly, criminal misconduct which should be frowned upon and met with stiff punishment. Sanctions are indubitably supposed to be punishing but above all, corrective and reparative when it has to do with professional misconduct. It is to this end, it behooves on the force and its principal officers to devise and deploy punishing measures that are yet corrective to erring police officers and reparative to the image of the force.
Taking a cue from my time in service at the Police Training School, Ikeja, where I served as the headmaster of the Police Training School, Ikeja, retired CP Fatai Owoseni, at the time, was the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State Command while recently promoted DIG Kayode Egbetokun was an Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commandant in-charge, Police Training School, Ikeja. I recall whenever there were cases of misconducts and unprofessionalism from police officers, between 2016 – 2017, the CP will send the erring officers to the Police Training Ikeja for re-orientation and rehabilitation. When this started, I recall telling the leadership of the force that it will be futile to go on and drill the police officers on the ‘normal’ police duties and studies they were familiar with, hence, suggested that they be taking through courses that will impact their personal lives which in turn will impact their professional behaviours. The idea was accepted, and we went on to have it implemented. Courses from NISSI Safety Management Institute (the institute I run that offers online and physical courses for professional and personal success; you can find more about it at the footnote of this article) like Personal Finance Management, Personal Health Management, Personal Image Management, Personal Transformation, Effective Success Habits, Tacts and Diplomacy, Emotional Intelligence and a few others were introduced and boom! It turned out to be a life-changing, a career-impactful programme. These officers, after the re-orientation and rehabilitation programme at the Training School, got drafted back into the police system, and it was reported copiously that they were completely changed from their old ways, and now discharged their duties with professionalism buoyed by sound character. At a point, due to the transformation recorded, it was no longer restricted to erring officers but everyone was scheduled for the programme, and approximately three thousand personnel were transformed.
Over the course of overseeing the re-orientation and rehabilitation programme at the Police Training School, I discovered that erring police officers do not choose to err because they are ignorant of the ethics of their jobs, but because they have mental, emotional and life holes that need to be looked into, to some counseling was all the needed. The truth is, a professional is not a professional because they know how to do their job, but because they have mastered the art of protecting their job from their personal life – not everyone is at this level, and not everyone stays at this level all the time.
So, the almost instinctive ‘dismissal’ should be down the depth of the rungs of sanctions being meted out to culpable police officers when corrective and reparative sanctions that make for a win-win can be deployed. Many thanks to DIG Kayode Egbetokun whose uncommon leadership style made it happen.
Beyond the Reorientation Training program, the Nigeria Police needs a COUNSELING AND SUPPORT GROUP probably drawn from some notable civilians and retired officers.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy – James 3:17 KJV.
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Peace and Security Leadership
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Professor Ofonime Emmanuel Bassey is a Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution coach with decades of experience in the practice and promotion of Law Enforcement, Peace and Security through the Nigeria Police and the United Nations.
He is a professor in Leadership, Peace and Conflict Resolution, a certified United Nation’s Trainer, and currently the Director of ICOF Institute of Leadership, Peace and Conflict Resolution in Africa.
Prof. Bassey has served and interacted at the top-level management of the Nigeria Police as well as internationally as a United Nation’s Monitor/Mentor in Kosovo, Europe.
With his marks well-established in Peace Leadership both in Nigeria and Africa, he is currently the President, NISSI Safety Management Institute: An Institute of Peace Leadership.
To his many humanitarian acts, he currently spearheads a campaign tagged “The Next Peace Leaders” billed to run from 2022-2023 with a target of training 37,000 young peace leaders.
For peace and security tips, consultations and trainings, reach him via:
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Mail: EmmanuelBassey@gmail.com
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