Police, UN to establish complaint units in four cities

• The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Monday, revealed that with the generous support and collaboration of the United Nations, the IG is taking a significant step towards decentralising and expanding CRU’s presence across the country
  

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The Nigerian Police Force has announced its collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to establish Complaint Response Units (CRUs) in Enugu, Kano, and Rivers States. Furthermore, they plan to expand the existing CRU in Lagos, with the aim of making justice and accountability more accessible to citizens.

The Acting Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, emphasized that this initiative is a collective effort to improve the quality of service delivery and extend the coverage of the CRU.

It is worth noting that the CRU has played a vital role in addressing public grievances and concerns related to police misconduct, human rights violations, and other issues in Nigeria, as reported by The PUNCH.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Monday, revealed that with the generous support and collaboration of the United Nations, the IG is taking a significant step towards decentralising and expanding CRU’s presence across the country in line with the provisions of Section 131 of the Police Act 2020.

Adejobi noted, “This expansion is a vital part of the IGP’s commitment to fostering a more transparent, accountable, and responsive policing system, and aligning with international best practices by significantly reducing the barriers faced by citizens when reporting issues, and will also expedite the resolution process.

“Consequently, the project would involve an outreach program whose primary objective is to develop effective strategies and modalities that will facilitate the expansion of CRU services to under-served rural communities and individuals with limited access. To achieve this, interactive Town Hall meetings in each of the four states which will bring together 20 relevant stakeholders from these states, as identified by the respective commands have been scheduled.

“These sessions will provide a platform for open discussions and collaborations aimed at improving community-police relations and service quality. The town hall meetings will be held in Kano State on October 23rd; Lagos on October 25th; Rivers on October 31st; and Enugu State on November 8th, 2023.

“The Inspector General of Police remains steadfast in his commitment to nurturing positive community relations and ensuring the delivery of top-notch policing services to members of the public with emphasis on addressing issues of professional misconduct and other forms of infractions.

“He urges residents of the concerned states to cooperate with the Nigeria Police to birth an efficient Complaint Response process in the affected states for improved policing while assuring that the CRU will promote trust, transparency, and accountability in the police force and enhance the government’s capacity to address human rights violations.”