Andy Esiet, Calabar
Cross River State Police Command has decried the shortage of manpower and communication gadgets in the state police command.
The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Aminu Alhassan who raised the alarm yesterday during a familiarization tour of the State Police Command by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 6, Mr. Usman Sule Gonna said that the effectiveness of the command is being hampered by some challenges as “manpower shortage is all over the federation in Nigeria Police, but that of Cross River is terrible and needs immediate redress”
Hassan added, “the effectiveness of the command in discharging it’s statutory duties is being hampered by some challenges not unconnected with enhanced technological and electronic methods (tracking device) of policing” .
However he stated that the crime rate in the state is low when compared to other states of the federation noting that rapid urbanization and development has brought in some emerging security threats.
Gonna on his part promised the police officers that he will channel their needs and challenges to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for intervention particularly the need to improve the the marine sector.
While addressing the officers at the State Police Headquarters at Diamond Hill Calabar, he warned that the police must however have respect for rights of persons in the society as his office will not tolerate violation of human rights in the cause of doing their duty.
He said, ” there is no democracy without human rights and we cannot pretend about this” , he said and tasked officers to work according to the tenets of the profession to show true professionalism.
“Any police man who still thinks that human rights is not serious needs to be educated that human rights is one of the tenets of democracy.
“You must be very professional, behave like a policeman at any given time. Professionalism should be your keyword and discipline should be your cardinal principle”.
