L-R: IGP Kayode Egbetokun presenting an award to the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Dr. Solomon Arase represented by the PSC Head, Press and Public Relations, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr. Solomon Arase, on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, charged Police Public Relations Officers (PPROs) across the state commands, zonal commands and departments of the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that they are accessible to the public, including the media, and also make themselves available as well as answer calls.
Dr. Arase, a retired Inspector General of Police, said that they should also be aware that to make a success of their assignment “you are not supposed to be the boss but the servant of the people who are constantly seeking for information.”
The PSC chairman added: “What you do or not tells on the image of the Nigeria Police Force.”
Dr Arase, who was represented by the Head, Press and Public Relations of the Commission, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, gave the message to the media on the sidelines of the opening Ceremony of the Annual Conference of the Police Public Relations Officers holding in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The PSC Chairman, according to Ani, said that the work of PPROs at any level “is challenging and calls for dedication and commitment.
He enjoined them to “live up to the original essence of communication which is to share commonness, and the greatest ingredient of such commonness can be located in deep trust of the citizens; a trust that is founded on the reality that information from them are treated upon on the strictest confidence.”
Dr Arase, who said that information sharing had become a compelling imperative more than ever before “since crime has become a mobile enterprise,” noted that he was happy that the management of the NPF had kept faith with the annual conference which brings together all the serving PPROs to a round table to brainstorm on the way forward on information management.
“This, to me, is very critical to the success of policing in a diverse Nigerian environment,” he stated.
He also emphasized the importance of the conference in advancing effective policing in Nigeria which he said could not have come at a better time.
Dr Arase said that the operating environment was already in a flux, compelling the NPF to not only rapidly adapt but also strive to stay ahead of the curve of changing public opinion.
“We should not only react to public opinion, but should anticipate and shape public opinion. We must be proactive,” he said.
He enjoined the participants to note that globalisation and democratisation of information and a raft of other developments in the operating environment of the Nigeria Police Force “have combined to demand a review of our engagement with our various publics in order to get the support we need to succeed in the discharge of our duties in our modern, sophisticated world.
He added: “Public Relations is more than a one-way communication; our interface with the public must place a premium on the feedback channels for a more rounded and rewarding engagement.”
He promised that the Police Service Commission would continue to support the Nigeria Police Force in the effective and efficient discharge of its duties as the lead agency in internal security “and will, in our communication to the public, continue to highlight the success stories of the Police. In partnership, we will achieve greater success.”
