Lagos Police to Get Watchdog

Matilda Omonaiye/

The police will soon establish a special unit that will serve as watchdog for their officers and men in Lagos State.

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, disclosed this on Wednesday.

Edgal described the establishment of the Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU) as one of the most important achievements of the force.

Edgal told newsmen at his maiden press conference held at the officers’ mess, Ikeja that the unit had ensured significant reduction in corruption and impunity in the police.

Immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, established the PCRRU as part of his efforts to reform the police.

Arase is also credited with setting up of the highly acclaimed Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the appointment of ACP Abba Kyari as its pioneer commander.

Edgal said corruption was largely responsible for the lack of trust for the police among Nigerians, adding that the scourge had eroded all the recent gains made by the force in combating crime, especially kidnapping.

He said the Lagos command had therefore resolved to compliment the work of the PCRRU by setting up a parallel unit that would serve as the first point of contact for members of the public with complaints against the police.

He reiterated the command’s zero tolerance for corruption and other acts of impunity and pledged to ensure that no indicted officer or policeman is shielded from punishment.

Edgal also expressed his determination to reduce the level of crime in the state by 30 percent within the next two months.

“I am not the type that use words loosely. I am bound by whatever I say. So I am assuring Lagosians that I will ensure the current rate of crime in the state is reduced by 30 percent within the next two months,” Edgal said.

Edgal took over from Mr. Fatai Owoseni on August 31 after the latter had spent two years on the seat.

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