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ITODE AKARI
Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) in Rivers State has dismissed insinuations and claims of rising indiscipline, brutality and human rights abuse in the Rivers State Police Command under the current Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju.
Chairman of PCRC in Rivers State, Mr Voke Emore, in a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Monday, insisted that contrary to the fictitious claims, the state Commissioner of Police had addressed human rights abuses squarely across the state.
He cited the removal of Abali motor park DPO by the CP some months ago after some officers under him fired tear gas at journalists and protesters, showing the CP’s zero tolerance to unprofessional conduct.
Emore said, “The PCRC has equally brought cases of human rights infraction to the CP and disciplinary actions were taken against the erring officers.”
The state PCRC Chairman, noted that while unprofessional conduct by employees cannot be ruled out in any profession including the Nigeria Police Force, the attention given to the issue of officers’ Indiscipline by the police hierarchy should also be taken into account.
He emphasised that CP Adepoju and the Rivers Police Command should rather be commended for responding swiftly to allegations of rights abuses, ensuring prompt intervention and instituting unbiased investigation.
Emore disclosed that the Rivers CP has shown commitment in upholding rights of citizens, exemplified by the command’s recent partnership with the Police Community Relations Committee in the state and International Federation of Women Lawyers, to retrain gender based desk officers across divisions, units and formations.
The Rivers PCRC Chairman who reaffirmed his confidence on the state Commissioner of Police and his men to ensure a crime free state, urged members of the public who are victims of any human rights infraction to report to the Police authority, assuring that adequate attention will be given to such complaints.