The Police High Command on Wednesday said that it would commence nationwide training of 10,000 newly recruited constables from the 10th of January, 2022.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba revealed this at the meeting with Commandants of Nigeria Police Colleges in Abuja.
The IGP who described the recruitment process as well-articulated and seamless involving all strategic relevant stakeholders said the next phase of the exercise rested on the shoulders of the Commandants who were expected to facilitate the transition of the recruits to well-groomed police personnel.
He directed the Commandants to liaise with their various commissioners of Police to ensure adequate security measures in the four premier police colleges in Lagos, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Enugu as well as 12 other institutes across the country designated for the training exercise.
IGP emphasised that “the need for quality manpower is even more essential for an institution as critical to national security as the Nigeria Police and the responsibility for this process falls squarely on the knowledge, patriotism, sense of dedication and discipline of Commandants and other instructors of the Police Training Institutions where the basic training of our recruit Constables will hold”.
According to him, “it is important to summon this meeting with a view to sharing my expectations with you and engaging you directly towards setting training standards, agenda, and anticipated outcomes for the 2020/2021 recruit trainees that will be under your professional tutelage.
“For this purpose, the recruit training for the 2020/2021 Phase of the Nigeria Police Recruitment exercise will commence on 10% January 2022. It will hold in the four (4) Premier Police Colleges in Lagos, Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Orji River, as well as in twelve (12) other Police Training Institutions spread across the country.
“Note that the current recruitment exercise has been well articulated in an all-inclusive and all-stakeholders process which involved the Police Service Commission, the Ministry of Police Affairs as well as other strategic relevant stakeholders. This obviously explains why the process has not only been transparent and seamless but has also thrown up the best candidates that the country can offer at that lower cadre of policing”.
The IGP added that he expected that all “strategic Heads of the Training Institutions will facilitate the process of the transition of the recruits from ‘civilians’ to well-groomed police personnel that will see themselves as incorruptible, civil, and true security servants of the citizens with the right orientation as protectors of the rights of all Nigerians”.
He pointed out that the vision of the Police Force was to ensure that “the upcoming training is fit-for-purpose and must deviate from the old-fashioned standard that dehumanizes the recruits in a manner that turns them into hostile security servants towards members of the public that they were recruited to serve.
“The plan is to emplace a new training regime that must impart the virtues of professionalism, knowledge, discipline, confidence knowledge, and critical decision-making potentials in the recruits. This is with the outcome of ensuring that they are trained appropriately and humanely enough to advance my agenda of ‘policing with courage and serving with compassion,” he said.
He cautioned against any form of extortion of the recruits by the Directing, Drill Staff, or any other staff of the Police Colleges. “Note that the Force Management Team has our ears on the ground and any form of infraction on this directive will be visited with the severe sanction and appropriate disciplinary measures”.
The IGP revealed that adequate provisions have been made by the Federal Government for the welfare of the recruits and the Staff of the Training Colleges. “It is expected to liaise with the Commissioners of Police in all respective States to ensure that adequate security arrangements are made for the protection of the Colleges.”
