By Polycarp Auta
Mr Kayode Egbetokun, the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), has called on the Federal Government to dedicate more funds to the Police and increase its annual personnel recruitment quota from 10,000 to 20,000.
Egbetokun made the call on Wednesday at the ongoing Defence Week for the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 45 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos.
The IGP presented a paper titled, ”Industrialisation, Energy Security and Climate Change: The Role of the Nigerian Police Force.”
Egbetokun decried the grossly inadequate number of personnel in the force, saying that inadequate funding was also responsible for the inability of the force to effectively combat crime and criminality in the country.
He, particularly, said that the shortage of modern equipment was also responsible for the inability of the police to secure facilities that would enable industrialisation in the country.
”The Nigerian Police requires an additional 190,000 personnel to be at par with the United Nations recommendation.
”Inadequate manpower has resulted in low police presence and could hinder the Federal Government’s industrialisation efforts.
”Without sufficient police presence and response capabilities, industrial sites are vulnerable to criminal activities, thereby, hampering economic progress.
”As part of my recommendation for this lecture, my office will liase with the Chairman of the Police Service Commission and the Minister of Police Affairs.
“I will recommend to government the need to increase the annual intake of personnel into the force from 10,000 to 20,000, starting from 2024,” he said.
Egbetokun further called on the federal government to direct the Minister of Finance to provide funds for the procurement of modern crime-fighting equipment for the force.
The IGP, however, said that the federal government had recently approved the recruitment of more police personnel across the nation, but did not disclose the number to be recruited. (NAN)
