The acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alkali Usman has said that the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) created a vacuum which is challenging efforts by the Police to tackle insecurity in the country from a position of strength.
The acting IGP stated this on Thursday at a presidential briefing organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the statehouse in Abuja.
“The security situation of the country has been significantly stabilise from time to time but we think if it is stabilising then are isolated insurgency coming from these zones in terms of attacks on police facilities and police personnel, even all law enforcement agencies including the military,” he said.
“Therefore, we decided to, one, rejig the morale of our personnel, which has been a little bit dampened since the #EndSARS thing went.
According to him, the aftermath of the EndSARS protest equally dampened the morale of the officers of the force.
“With the proscription of SARS and establishment of SWAT, which has not been able to take off fully. We had a vacuum in tackling most of the violent crimes from our position of strength.”
The IGP also indicated that the police have recorded successes against secessionist groups and criminals in the southeast.
He noted that prosecution to ensure justice is served has remained a major challenge because of the ongoing strike by judiciary workers.
On the recruitment plan involving 10,000 new police personnel into the force, he disclosed that the process has reached nearly 70 percent completion as he assures that the exercise would continue to employ the Federal Character principle.
