Police service should weed out indiscipline

In seeking to improve the dented image and shattered morale of police officers, the National Police Service Commission has recommended measures that aim to reward dedication to duty and achievement.

The commission says it will adapt a human resource development strategy to be known as 'horizontal career development'. Under this new scheme, officers who execute their duties diligently will be eligible for better pay packages that don't necessarily conform to grade limitations.

There is no doubt that policemen work under difficult conditions and many of them live in sub-human conditions. Across the country, policemen have been observed to live in dilapidated shacks. The facilities are often shared without regard to sex or marital status, which robs officers of privacy and dignity.

For the long hours and arduous work, there has been no adequate compensation for officers, which renders the latest move welcome.

Lack of promotions and stagnation in salaries has been some of the reasons for low morale in the police service. To some extent this has also accounted for the proclivity of police officers to take bribes to supplement their meagre earnings.

While this does not excuse the practice of bribe taking, better remuneration would obviously give officers reason to work hard and earn their pay.

Last year, the Independent Police Oversight Authority decried the presence of rogue officers in the police service.

It is therefore necessary that indisciplined officers and those who fall under the rogue category are relieved of their duties instead of retaining them while withholding their yearly salary increments as punishment.

This could be counterproductive when officers not due for salary increments are of senior rank. Disgruntlement could lead such officers into not giving fair appraisals of their junior officers who show promise and dedication to work.

In the absence of clear safeguards, junior officers might not be duly recommended for promotions or better pay, thus turning the same exercise into a sham while at the same time heightening discontent.

Besides better pay, working conditions must also be improved to raise self-esteem among officers.