The Zone 5 of the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, on Friday in Benin commenced a 2-day capacity training for its officers and men ahead of the Feb. 16 and March 2 general elections.
The training, organised in collaboration with Hi-Tech Security Services and Training Limited for the policemen drawn from Edo, Delta and Bayelsa Police Commands, centres on “Democratic Policing and Elections Security Management.”
Declaring the training open, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG for the zone, Alkali Usman, said that the training was to prepare the officers and men for the polls.
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Represented by the Edo Commissioner of Police, CP, Olusegun Odumosu, the AIG said it was meant to keep the law enforcement agents abreast with the policy thrust of policing during elections.
He stressed the need for the law enforcement agents to be ready for the conduct of the polls as the major responsibilities during the exercise fell on the shoulders of the police and INEC.
According to him there is need for policemen to carry out the enormous responsibilities with every sense of care and diligence.
”The world is watching and we should all work to ensure that the police is counted on the part of history positively. We are law enforcers and not law makers,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Lawrence Alobi, the Chief Executive Officer of Hi-Tech Security Services and Training Limited, said the programme would ensure that the police commands in the zone performed their election duties effectively.
The retired Commissioner of Police said the law enforcement agency should carry out the duties in line with the extant rules and regulations guiding the force.
Alobi said that there was the need for the police to be well prepared and equipped for the elections, adding that the training was comprehensive and holistic.
He also said that security was central to the conduct of elections, hence the need for officers to be trained.
The chief executive further advised that the police should partner and work harmoniously with the media during the elections.
DAILY NIGERIAN reports that no fewer than 100 officers and men from the commands are participating in the training.
NAN
