By MONDAY IJEH

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved new policy guidelines for the deployment of Management and Tactical Commanders in the Nigeria Police.

Mr Ikechukwu Ani, the Head of Press and Public Relations of PSC said this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

He said the guidelines include gender-sensitivity in the deployment of Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) to Zones and state commands.

Ani said the commission approved the policy guidelines at its 21^st Plenary Meeting, presided by its Chairman, Dr Solomon Arase.

He said meeting also said that the Police Force must be guided by federal character principle in recruitment at all levels and deployment of personnel at management and tactical levels.

The PSC spokesman said this was to ensure balance, equity and fairness in the system.

Ani said the commission during the sitting observed that the current deployment of CPs to state commands left much to be desired in reflecting the principle of equity and fairness to all geo-political zones.

He said the current statistics of the deployments was against the North East and South East geopolitical zones.

“It has become extremely important that a fair representation of all geo-political zones is always reflected in these deployments to eschew and address the feeling and sense of marginalisation and injustice.”

He said the PSC meeting agreed that henceforth deployment of CPs to states must ensure that the disadvantaged zones were considered first in the proposals to the commission, to redress the present imbalance and lopsided deployments.

According to him, all geo-political zones of the country must now have at least 15 per cent representation in the deployment of AIGs to zones and CPs to states.

He said the 15 per cent representation must also be observed in the posting of Commanding Officers of Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism CTU and Special Protection Unit (SPU).

Ani further said that the meeting agreed that all deployments to zones and commands at Management and Tactical levels must recognise the heterogeneity of the country and reflect fairness and equity in terms of ethnicity and religion.

He enjoined the Inspector General of Police (I-G) to be guided appropriately by the policy guidelines founded on principles of fairness and justice.

Ani said the Commission observed the continuous practice of lopsided deployments of only male police officers to zones and commands with no fair consideration and representation of qualified female officers.

According to Ani, the PSC believes that if not checked, the practice would in no time portray the police as a gender unfriendly organisation and averse to women inclusivity in governance.

“The Commission also considered and approved that at least three state Commands out of the 30 commands must have female police officers as CPs.

“It has also been approved that out of the 17 Zonal Headquarters, at least one zone must have a female AIG as the head,” Ani said. (NAN)

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