WELCOME ADDRESS OF IGP SOLOMON ARASE,NPM, FDC AT THE INAUGURAL ANNUAL POLICE LAWYERS CONFERENCE AND THE INAUGURATION OF THE OFFICERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS OF THE NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION (NBA) POLICE LA
Protocol,
I stand before you my learned and professional colleagues, with a deep sense of fulfilment to present this welcome address at this all important Annual Police Lawyer’s Conference and the inauguration of the Officers and Council Members of the NBA Police Lawyers Forum and Award Night for deserving Police lawyers. This is the first of its kind in the history of the Nigeria Police Force.
- When I assumed office as the 18th Inspector-General of Police in April, 2015, I worked with the Police Management Team and critical stake holding partners to initiate a policing strategy consistingofsix (6) thematic areas covering Anti-Corruption Drive;Human Rights driven Policing policy; Intelligence-led policing and Community Partnership; Case Diversion, Fast Track Trials and Restorative Justice; Human Capacity Development; and Engagement of cutting edge technology and best international practices to policing.
- In all these, ladies and gentlemen, Human Rights remained at the centre. This is not just because of the imperative to have a Police force that embodies the values of fairness, justice and equity, but also because policing in a democratic society requires accountability which is indeed demanded for by an enlightened and diverse citizenry. This conference was initiated with this realisation in mind.
- 4. My dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, we have achieved modest progress in the key milestones of the strategic plan and today’s event which is aimed at enhancing the capacity of Police Lawyers who occupy a central role in the Administration of Criminal Justice Sector, advances our objectives. It is acknowledged worldwide that Lawyers are“ministers in the temple of Justice”. But my experience has shown that the over five hundred (500) lawyers in the employment of the Nigeria Police have not fully assumed this responsibility.
- 5. It is the statutory function of the Police to prevent crime but only preventive strategies cast in concrete are breach proof. We all know that it is impossible to cast our preventive strategies in concrete, therefore, offending members of our society must be brought to justice.
- 6. It remains the responsibility of police lawyers to guide investigators in the gathering, preservation and presentation of evidence as well as ensuringrespect for the rights of persons who become the subject of police preventive and investigative procedures, be they suspects or witnesses of crime.The inability of Police lawyers to effectively assume this strategic role in the Policing space has immensely contributed to the high rate of failure of investigation and prosecution of cases. This negates my vision for a policing system that guaranteesEquity, Fairness and Justice.
- 7. The situation in the Civil Justice Sector presents another daunting challenge as civil actions against the Police are either not defended or poorly defended resulting in the award of damages and eventual garnisheeing of Police accounts. My last count shows that over N1.9 Billion of Police Funds in theTreasury Single Account(TSA) is being garnisheed. If this situation is not urgently addressed, the Police may not be able to perform its functions as the limited budgetary allocations will be needlessly lost to garnishee actions.
- 8. Given the institutional challenges the police as a key player in the criminal justice sector faces, reinvigorating the capacity of Police Lawyers bycreating a unique platform where they can network and deepen their knowledge and skills has become imperative, especially in the light of the recent passage of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
- 9. I commenced the realisation of this vision by the construction of a legal building with a state of the art legal library and facilities considered to be one of the best in Nigeria today. Though this building provides a conducive environment for lawyers working in the Legal Section,the building alone without systematic training of the lawyers and attitudinal change that will bridge this competency gap will not achieve the desired goal. This informed my thinking that apart from the regular training of lawyers already introduced by my administration, an annual Conference for Police lawyers in collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association needsbe emplaced to review and discuss current issues and trends in the legal profession. This is with a view to aligning the practice of Nigeria Police lawyers to current trends as a conscious way of strengthening their strategic roles within the criminal justice administration system.
- 10. In specific terms, the objectives of the Inspector-General of Police in convening the annual