IGP moves to strengthen police divisions, orders reduction of tactical teams
By Precious Igbonwelundu In a move to strengthen police divisions and posts across the country, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Rilwan Disu has ordered the reduction in the
By Precious Igbonwelundu
In a move to strengthen police divisions and posts across the country, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Rilwan Disu has ordered the reduction in the number of tactical teams created by police commands.
This order followed public complaints about the reduced staff strength at police stations, which hindered their ability to attend to concerns from the masses.
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Over time, police commands and formations created multiple tactical squads for rapid responses to combat criminality, thereby depleting the number of operatives available at stations for routine policing duties.
Dispelling claims on social media that the IGP disbanded all tactical teams immediately, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), DCP Anthony Placid, said the directive requires zonal and state commands to reduce their tactical teams to a maximum of five, while area commands and divisions must reduce theirs to a maximum of three.
"The IGP, a grassroots officer with a profound network across Nigerian society, is aware of public concerns about police tactical teams’ operations and the creation of multiple teams by Commissioners of Police and Heads of formations, with attendant backlash.
"Having held command positions nationwide and witnessed tactical teams in action, the IGP values their contribution to crime-fighting. He is, however, uncomfortable with their proliferation, which drains Police Divisions and Posts of required manpower and creates issues affecting the Force’s integrity due to the excesses of poorly supervised teams.
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"To address these issues, the IGP directed the reduction of the tactical teams at Zonal and State Command levels to a maximum of five, and Area Command and Divisional levels to a maximum of three.
"This can be achieved by merging or disbanding teams, at the discretion of the Heads of formations. The teams referred to exclude State Government-created outfits like Lagos’ Rapid Response Squad, Oyo’s SRS, and Bayelsa’s Operation DOO-AKPOR, and other similar outfits across the country.
"The IGP expects this move to free personnel for Police Stations, reducing complaints about tactical team excesses.
"Having emphasized accountability and a people-friendly Force in his maiden address to Nigerians, the IGP took this step to enhance supervision of existing teams, strengthen Police Divisions, and remove causes of complaints against the Force by members of the public," said DCP Placid.
