Group calls for periodic psychological tests on policemen

A non-government organisation, Values Project has urged the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to institute periodic conduct of psychological tests on police personnel nationwide.

National Coordinator of the group, Chukwuma Okenwa, made the call in Enugu while speaking to reporters.

Okenwa spoke on the high rate of human rights abuses and scenes of psychological imbalances displayed by some policemen while discharging their duties.

He said it was regrettable that the police officers were always rated highly when on foreign missions and assignments, but while in the country they perform below expectations.

According to Okenwa, police officers and men fail to replicate such internationally-recognised efforts and award-winning services back home in the country.

The coordinator said that the use of excessive force or threat with guns by police officers in civil matters was becoming unbearable to Nigerians, adding that with periodic psychological tests, most of the personnel not suitable to handle guns would be stopped from wielding AK-47 rifles.

“Gradually, the psychological imbalanced officers and other bad eggs in the police system would be removed and the organisation will only have well-disciplined and well-coordinated personnel,” Okenwa said.