Police, Senate bicker over recruitment

The two-month old feud between Senate and the Police Service Commission (PSC) over recruitment of 10,000 police officers, may soon be resolved, as indications emerged yesterday that the Presidency has stepped in.

The recruitment exercise was suspended two months ago following sharp disagreements over a formula to adopt in the recruitment.

Senate Committee on Police Affairs had wanted the recruitment to be based on nine persons per local government, but the PSC insisted on equality of states as a criterion.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Abu Ibrahim explained that the position of the Senate was informed by the need to ensure that more policemen were recruited from states with higher population and pointed out that the policy of community policing would be better enhanced if policemen are recruited from most rural areas in local government councils.

Before suspension of the exercise, Senate had, in a letter, asked the PSC to suspend the exercise over alleged irregularity in the criteria adopted for the recruitment.

Addressing newsmen, yesterday, Senator Ibrahim said the clash between the chamber and the PSC has been resolved.

“We have resolved the issue and the recruitment would be done on local government basis. Very soon the exercise will resume,” he said.

He explained that the personnel to be recruited would form the foundation for the commencement of community policing in the country.

“Nine personnel would be recruited per local government area. The policemen would be used to form a unit for community policing in all the 774 local government areas of the country, “he said.

Ibrahim added that in the next three years, 30 personnel would be recruited per local government for the community policing programme.