Is Police Your Friend

Imagine a very tender child who is so eager to explore the world, sees a friendly looking police officer and waves excitedly but his parents quickly stop him with their eyes filled with fear. Why are they so scared? Are police not supposed to be out friends, and also protectors of the laws, lives and properties?

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Unfortunately, many people hasn't experienced good encounters with these law enforcement agency. For many reasons the police are seen as agent of oppression, using their power to intimidate the minority in the country which has seasted a misunderstanding between the police and the people in most places.

Maybe we can find out together, if truly police can be our friends.

The answer to this question varies on mostly individual experiences/ encounters, social norms and cultural context. Personally, I can't side give a positive or negative answer to this, because whether Police are our "friends" or not, depends on various factors.

Some people may argue that police is our friends because

• They maintain law and order, protecting the citizens from harm. Police officers plays a vital role in keeping our community safe by enforcing laws and preventing crimes and nabbing criminals.
• They're trained to serve and protect the land, prioritising the safety of the public. Law enforcement agents undergo good and rigid trainings to see that they're equipped to face emergency response and protect citizens.

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On the contrary, other may say that police are not our friends because;

• They misuse their powers which has been involved in cases of racism, brutality and corruption as well
• Bribe and corruption has been part of the history of police right from years back where police officers are no more dedicated to their job and lack transparency.
• Discrimination and oppression of the minority..

First of all what is jurisdictions?
Jurisdiction simply refers to the geographiccal or functional area over which a specific authority has control over. It can apply to a number of different types of authorities.

Therefore, police jurisdictions refers to the geographic area, laws and authority within which the police departments can carry out their activities/duties. There are different types of police jurisdictions which includes;

• Local Jurisdictions: City or municipal departments have power within their city limits.
• State Jurisdictions: State police or highway patrols have power and control with state boundaries.
• Federal Jurisdictions: Federal agencies have power, control and authority nationwide (e.g., FBI, DEA, DSS).
• International Jurisdictions: some Police agencies or departments have authority and power in the international space such as Interpol.

Examples of such police jurisdictions in Nigeria are:

• The Nigeria Police Force (NPF): The federal jurisprudence
• The state command: The state jurisdictions
• Local Government Area command: The local jurisdictions.

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The authorities and responsibilities of the police jurisdictions are to/for:

• Law enforcement: Investigation of crimes, enforcing Laws and making arrests.
• Traffic Enforcement: Issuing citations and regulating of traffic.
• Community Policing; Preventing crime and building strong relationships.
• Emergency response: Providing aid, help and responding to emergencies.
• Specialized units: SWAT, Narcotics, K-9, Mobile Police etc.

Here are key qualities of a good police:

Personal Qualities

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Empathy
• Courage
• Fairness
• Accountability
• Good communication skills

Operational qualities

• Community oriented
• proactive
• Responsive
• Collaborative
• Innovative
• Adaptive
• Transparency

Skill based qualities

• Critical Thinking
• Problem solving mindset
• crisis management
• communication tactics.
• investigation skills
• Emergency response
• Technology Proficiency

Ethical Qualities

• Respect for human rights
• Zero Tolerance for corruption
• Cultural sensitivity
• Use of force policy
• Confidentiality
• Impartiality
• Compliance with laws

Above all the stated set of qualities, if a person should have the listed personal and ethical qualities, I also consider that one as a good police.

I have encountered an injustice by police but it wasn't directly to me. A friend and myself were traveling back to school earlier this year by road and we approached a police checkpoint just few kilometres before our final destination. Om getting there, the checkpoint was occupied by the the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as well as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). The NDLEA stopped our vehicle, asked us to come down that they were to search us and our vehicles if we're moving with illicit drugs. They did the search and couldn't find anything.

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Unfortunately, that day my friend had a problem with his eyes and his eyes were itching him, and while on the road, he was scratching it which made it turn red. We explained to the NDLEA officers that it was an eye condition and they did let us go, but the police didn't agree. They pressed on saying that an eye condition cannot result to such effects and only hard smokers have this kind of red eyes. We were bewildered and that moment that started harassing us, hitting us and because it was a public place, people intervened but we received threats of getting apprehended sooner.

That was pure injustice and abuse of power..!!!

I strongly agree on the dismissal of corrupt police officers. The reason is because they may have in one way or the other done one of the following:

• Betrayal of public trust
• Undermining law enforcement integrity
• Eroding community confidence
• Compromising safety and justice

Although the disciplinary actions taken by the department can have alternatives like demotion, reassignment, suspension without pay and community service. But dismissal will serve as a lesson to others and if dismissal is not good enough, other ways would be figured out soonest.

In conclusion, police being our friend depend on various situations and factors as stated above. If good actions can be taken by heads of the police departments or the top government executives, fear of the police will be reduced and trust will be gradually builded to promote growth and development.

Thanks for reading.
I invite @kidi40, @bloggist and @alli001 to participate.

Cc,
@okere-blessing