COMPREHENSIVE reforms and reorganisation of the Police, including an overhaul of police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the disbandment of some special units have already begun, Acting Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar Adamu has said.

He also said the police would work very closely with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tackle thuggery and other electoral offences as part of strategies to ensure highly credible elections.

At his inaugural conference with the top echelon of the NPF, including states’ Commissioners of Police at Force Headquarters in Abuja yesterday, the acting IGP emphasised that police professionalism and operational competence affects the credibility of elections.

The IG said: “All states’ Commissioners of Police are to galvanise their personnel and mobilise logistics towards ensuring a peaceful and credible outcome of the general elections,” he said, adding that all law-abiding political actors must be secured and offenders must be punished.

“Indeed, in order to ensure that such offenders are conclusively brought to justice, the DIG FCIID has been directed to set up Special Election Investigation Teams (SEIT) that will be tasked with the exclusive functions of taking in custody and undertake detailed investigation of all arrested electoral offenders across the country.

“The teams shall also liaise with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) towards the prompt processing of the case files of the offenders for prosecution,” Adamu stated.

He presented details of the comprehensive reforms that he planned, stressing that its effects would be felt from the Force Headquarters down to the zonal and state commands across the nation.

“As promised during the handing and taking over ceremony between the immediate past Inspector General of Police and myself, a number of well-thought-out reform initiatives directed at restoring the traditional policing standards of the Force shall be vigorously pursued in all aspects of policing functions, particularly in the operations; intelligence; investigation; training; science, technology and innovation (STD); and monitoring and evaluation within the Force.

“This is in cognisance of the fact that our responsibility as a Police Force is to operate within extant rules and best international policing practices. It also imposes on us the obligation of respecting, protecting and advancing the rights of all citizens of this country, regardless of their socio-economic status.

“Furthermore, public acceptance of the police under a democratic setting is not influenced exclusively by the number of crimes that are solved but by the manner such are attained. Since no Police Force ever succeeds by alienating its citizens, we are firmly resolved that, under my watch, policing will be citizens-centred, rules-driven, and accountability-guided.

“Towards this end, a comprehensive reform, both in terms of ethics, mode of operation, nomenclature and orientation, function delineation, command and control, weaponry, and accountability mechanism, will be undertaken in SARS.

“This is with a view to giving full, clear, measurable and accountable intervention to the Presidential Directives on reform and reorientation of the unit as recently handed down to the Force leadership.

“A reorganisation proposal to this effect is being currently studied, preparatory to its being implemented.

“At the end, a protocol that will document the outcome of the reform shall be developed; the protocol shall become the Standard Operating Procedure of the unit, which will be engaged for performance evaluation in aid of accountability process and disciplinary concerns.

“This initiative will be undertaken in close collaboration with the Presidency, Office of the National Security Adviser, Ministry of Interior, Police Service Commission and Human Rights Groups, Development Partners and other strategic stakeholders.

“The proposed re-organisation will produce a new Special Anti-Robbery Unit, which will be professional enough to protect the citizens in their line of duty, but uniquely potent enough to respond to any major weapon-related organised crimes in the swiftest and most ethical manner.

“While this initiative is being perfected, the operations of SARS, which is currently centralised at the Force Headquarters, is hereby decentralised. Consequently, with immediate effect, the Commissioner of Police in each of the 36 Police Commands and the FCT are to assume full command and control authority.