Expert advises police to shun brutality, respect human rights

The need for policemen to shun unnecessary torture, brutality and respect human rights has been identified as a sure way to regain public confidence. Stating this were security stakeholders during a book launch in Lagos recently. Speaking on how the Lagos State Police Command have fared in this regard, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti in Yaba, Yetunde Longe said the command places high premium on the respect of the fundamental human rights of every individual. Longe who was the mother of the day at the launch of the book titled ‘Social Relations and Human Rights Development in Nigeria’ maintained that policing in Lagos is in line with International best practice. Using the SCIID as a yardstick, the DCP who was represented by the Officer-in-Charge, Homicide Section of SCIID, CSP Rasaq Oseni revealed that suspects at the police formation are not brutalized during interrogation and not detained beyond two weeks before been charged to court. She said, “At SCIID, we do not torture suspects during interrogation, we have a professional way of making them tell the truth. If you see a suspect in our custody after two weeks of arrest, then it has to be a murder case that we are still investigating. “Gone are the days when we have overfilled cells at SCIID or cases not properly investigated leading to indefinite stay of suspects in our custody. “The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal has always preached respect for rights of suspects and complaints. The Lagos State Police Command of today is different from that of years back. That is why we make sure the people have access to us and hold regular stakeholders’ meetings. We also inform the public of our activities through our regular press briefings.” Commenting on the relevance of the book written by an Inspector of Police, Dan Babalola, Longe said the book clearly states the rights of the individual person as well as that of the police as an important part of the criminal justice system in Nigeria. “The author is an Inspector and I am sure he had done justice to the book. The book teaches us about the police as an institution, rights of the police personnel and the rights of the people. “This book is one of the many ways of bridging the gap between the police and the people. This book is expected to enlighten the general public and the police too.” While stating factors that inspired the writing of the book, Insp. Babalola who is also attached to the SCIID, Panti said the hostility law Enforcement Officers face in the discharge of their duty as well as the almost visible lack of public trust propelled his writing of the book. He said the book was one of the ways he thought of bringing the people and the police close. “The inspiration to write the book came after many years of research and thinking of ways to bring the people closer to the police. This book is an explicit manual that address the issue of human right as it affects the individual and law enforcement officers.
“There is no need to torture suspects. When you interact with them as you should, they will voluntarily confess. “People also need to change their perspective about the police. The police is your friend and you are free to talk to the police,” he advised. Joy Anyim, Lagos