Hire more female police officers; IPOA tells NPSC

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, has recommended to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) to hire more women to address gender imbalance in police stations and comply with the one-third gender rule enshrined in the Constitution.

It emerged after a series of inspections, that there was not only a shortage of staff, but female officers were fewer in all police premises inspected.

IPOA also recommended adequate and fair distribution of finances to fund police premises, and the establishment of a proper accounting system and fair distribution of available resources.

This, the Authority believes, will ensure efficient service delivery since the public and the officers will not be compelled to source for stationery using their own finances.

IPOA, in its January to June 2022 performance report (download pdf), said motor vehicles and fuel allocation should be done on basis of geographical area covered by a police facility, terrain, frequency of emergencies and rapid response incidences.

The Authority also stated the need to increase the 15-liter motor vehicle fuel allocation, especially in the hardship areas in order to improve the response rate to incidents.

IPOA also wants police officers to ensure that all lock up facilities are in hygienic conditions conducive for human habitation, including having adequate light, toilet, washing facilities and outdoor area as stipulated in the Arrest and Detention rules in the 5th Schedule of the National Police Service Act 2011.

During the reporting period, the Authority conducted 326 inspections in various NPS facilities including police stations and cells, training colleges, specialized units, thematic inspections and police records among others.  

At the same time, the Authority further commissioned a survey to track implementation of recommendations it has made in previous reports. (Read separate story).

IPOA also monitored police operations on provision of security during political party primaries, Public Order management, security operations, beat and patrols, traffic management and police recruitment.

The authority acknowledged the stretch on resources in police cells currently caused by the upsurge in number of remandees occasioned by a delay in transferring them to prisons.

IPOA also urged the NPSC to regularly review the training curricula to ensure its relevance to policing requirements, and fundamentally move swiftly when there is need to equip officers with certain crucial knowledge.

Other recommendations include; fast-tracking the issuance of police uniform to boost their image and esteem, procurement of sufficient communication devices, and improvement and building new police infrastructure in a bid to modernize National Police Service facilities.

The authority also acknowledged the progressive uptake of its recommendations by the NPS (Read separate story) saying that there was a notable contribution towards enhancing professionalism of the Service.