Thirty five lawyers have been commissioned to promote a model scheme that has been initiated at the Isokoko police station at Agege, Lagos, to improve policing.
The lawyers from seven law firms were presented to the media on Thursday, September 20, during the launch of the Legal Advise Scheme by the Justice For All and the Department for International Development (DFID) at the police station.
The lawyers will partner with the police officers to ensure that the Model police station scheme initiated becomes effective, as they will routinely visit the station to monitor and document observations and treatment of suspects.
According to the Justice For All, the scheme will improve community policing and eradicate human rights abuses of suspects. ?
Tony Cross, Consultant for Justice For All, also said the Legal Advise scheme will boost residents’ confidence to report crime in their community.
“The Legal Advise scheme will have lawyers from seven law firms and each law firm ?will send five lawyers to partner with the police officers ?at the Isokoko police station to ensure the model police station scheme works,” he said.
“The aim is to make sure the police officers act in accordance with the law. Also we have printed these rights in leaflets in five different languages so that the suspects will have access to them. The scheme also provides the suspects with free legal services from the lawyers.”
He added that the pilot project would be extended to other police stations in Lagos and other states like Enugu and Kano by the start of next year.
Some of the lawyers called on the government to provide better welfare packages for the police, in order to boost their morale.
“For the scheme to work smoothly, the government should provide logistics, equipment and better packages for the officers as they cannot work effectively without the necessary welfare packages that will boost their morale, ” said Segun Oyewale, one of the lawyers.
Other lawyers urged the police authorities to ensure the training and retraining of police officers in human rights.
Lawal Ado, Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Community Policing, who represented the Inspector General of Police, assured that the police authorities would provide the enabling environment for the model policing scheme to work in the country.
He added that the scheme was in line with the transformation agenda of the Police Force.
Bob Arnot, National Programme Manager for Justice For All, also expressed the agency’s commitment to improve policing and human rights in Nigeria.
He said that police officers at Isokoko police station have already started conforming to the tenets of a model police station that is people friendly and efficient in handling complaints.
