The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday commenced a 4-Day capacity building workshop for Police Public Relations Officers to strategise on how to rebrand the public perception of the police. Speaking at the event which was held at Awka, Anambra State, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed A. Adamu, said the workshop is part of his administration’s commitment to the enhancement of the capacity of officers who are directly concerned with managing the Force’s image and information dissemination. “…This Workshop is part of my administration’s commitment to the enhancement of the capacity of officers whose primary responsibility it is to manage the image and information dissemination process towards repositioning the Nigeria Police and changing the uninformed perceptions and faulty narratives about the Nigeria Police Force.
“This is with a view to rebranding the Force, advancing our fortunes, and restoring our primacy within the internal security architecture of the Nation. “Changing the uninformed perceptions and faulty narratives about the Nigeria Police Force. This is with a view to rebranding the Force, advancing our fortunes, and restoring our primacy within the internal security architecture of the Nation. “Unarguably, certain indiscretions and perceived inactions by some personnel of the Force as well as the security challenges in some parts of the country impact negatively on the image of the Force.
“This reality coupled with the dynamic nature of crime, rapidly advancing information and communication technology, and the changing policing environment that we deal with in the line of our duty have combined to redefine both the concept of policing and the perception of the police by the citizens. Indeed, experts have asserted that there is an intertwining relationship between public perception and the effectiveness of the Police to attain its internal security mandate.
“The import of this, ladies and gentlemen, is that our ability to win over public trust and confidence as a pathway to crime management is precedent on the capacity of you, the officers here seated to rebrand the police and project it positively to the citizens. “It is indeed in cognizance of this that we are embracing the concept of community policing which is directed at building a strong partnership with the citizens in our drive to attain our mandate. The Public Relations Department of the Nigeria Police remains critical to this process
“All of these considerations make it imperative that we continually equip the Police Public Relations Officers with the necessary skills and knowledge to efficiently engage the public and effectively manage the image and perceptions about the Force.” Observing the importance of the new media (social media), the IGP encouraged the PPROs to leverage the various platforms. “I encourage you to take advantage of the new media and modern technology to do this and also ensure timely dissemination and response to issues. You must master your turfs and strengthen your relationship with your internal and external publics.” The workshop is expected to continue today. Vanguard
Pix: Police IG, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu
