- Seeks to Create State and National Police Service Commissions
- NHRC, NUJ, NBA, Labour, others to be represented
- Makes provisions to guard against abuse
- Bill to be accelerated- Ekweremadu
The First Reading of the Constitution Alteration Bill for the Establishment of State Police and other related matters was taken at the Senate plenary on Thursday.
The Bill sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate and the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, also has all members of the Committee as co-sponsors.
It seeks to establish The Federal Police and State Police, while also creating the National Police Service Commission, National Police Council, and State Police Service Commission for the states.
The Federal Police, according to the Bill, shall “be responsible for the maintenance of public security, preservation of public order and security of persons and property throughout the federation”, and “provide state policing for any state that is unable to operate a State Police until such a time that a State Police is established by the House of Assembly of that state”.
The Bill proposes the appointment of the Commissioner of Police of a state by the Governor on the advice of the National Police Service Commission and subject to confirmation of the House of Assembly, while the term of office of the Commissioner of Police shall be for a period of five years only or until he attains a retirement age prescribed by law, whichever is earlier.
“The Governor or such other Commissioner of the Government of the State as he may authorise in that behalf may give to the Commissioner of Police such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order as he may consider necessary, and the Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directions or cause them to be complied with.
“Provided that where the Commissioner of Police feels that any order given under this subsection is unlawful or contradicts general policing standards or practice, he may request that the matter be referred to the State Police Service Commission for review and the decision of the State Police Service Commission shall be final”, it proposes.
Also, whereas a Commissioner of Police of a State may be removed on the grounds of misconduct, serious breach of policing standards, conviction by a court of law or tribunal, indictment by a judicial body or tribunal for corruption, participation in political activities, among others, such removal must be approved by two-thirds majority of the State House of Assembly.
It goes on to propose that an “Act of the National Assembly may prescribe a bi-annual certification review of the activities of State Police by the National Police Service Commission to ensure they meet up with approved national standards and guidelines of policing and their operations do not undermine national integrity, promote ethnic, tribal or sectional agenda or marginalize any segment of the society within the state”.