…Harps on ‘Humanised’ Policing

By Koko Robson

A non-governmental organisation, the Rule of Law And Empowerment Initiative, also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), has urged journalists on effective and balanced reportage as it concerns the 2020 Police Reform Act.

PWAN gave the charge recently in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, in a one-day seminar it organised to sensitise media practitioners in the state on the Police reform, which bothered on mainstreaming of the Police Act and regulations in reporting of police conduct, arrest, stop and search, and other related issues.

One of the facilitators, Mrs Folusho Oluwole, while speaking on the topic “Humanising the Police and Policing”, noted that journalists are known for breaking and exposing ills and unprofessional conducts of police officers in the course of discharge of their duties, said there is the need for them to also acknowledge and report professional and exceptional conducts of police officers who distinguished themselves in their beats, adding that doing so will encourage and boost the confidence of those officers and also set a precedent for their corrupt and unprofessional colleagues.

Mrs Oluwole further advised that since police officers are also human, they are psychologically influenced by family and stress from their places of work. According to her, police officers in Nigeria are overstretched due to understaffing, poor enumerations, and even illnesses, hence the need for journalists to always place themselves in their positions in their dealings with the police.

Oluwole, however, clarified that her position is not to excuse the police for various unprofessional activities carried out by some bad eggs within the police, or to gag journalists from exposing unscrupulous elements in the force, but her stance is the need to commend and treat police officers as humans where applicable.

The training, with the theme “Enhancing Public Trust and Gender Responsive Policing in Nigeria through Effective Implementation Of Act”, also highlighted areas such as “an overview of the 2020 Police Act”; “Role of the Media/Citizens in Ensuring a Robust Reform Framework”, which was handled by Aisha Abubakar. Other topics are: a review of Developmental Reporting and Solutions Journalism; Ethics and Language That Builds Reform by Mr Jackson Odeh, amongst other topics.