Does the Nigerian Police needs TETRA?

This article is a result of the recent visit of Zayyad I Muhammad , editor of Businessday to the ‘New Afghanistan’ - the Maiduguri-Damaturu axis of northern Nigeria. There, the Nigeria Police has found itself in a social order completely alien to its primary role - policing.

According to Zayyad I. Muhammad, the situation in Nigeria has clearly proven the age-long belief in the link between inept political leadership, dysfunctional economy, and policing. Whenever the police of a nation is plagued by poor conditions of service, deplorable work environment, lack of incentives and motivation, corruption, low level of public confidence and serious lack of expertise in some specialised fields, the best option for officers when they find themselves on a tight-rope is ‘hue, cry and run’.



What the Nigeria Police needs is a reform in three major aspects: leadership, methodology, and culture and attitude.

The public expects the police to prevent crime and maintain peace and public order. However, the job of policing in Nigeria is dangerous, with high rates of injury and death. Police officers operate without up-to-date and high-tech policing equipment - you cannot fight crime with only guns, bows and arrows and rickety pickup vans. The police should be armed with modern firearms and protective equipment, alongside other small tools. Communication is vital for modern policing. Thus, any existing police radio spectrum that is subject to serious interference should be gradually replaced by a new spectrum of superior quality. Police officers should have their entire vehicles and posts/stations installed with Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) system for effective communication, as well as for data and voice transmission. TETRA is encrypted to prevent interception.

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Source: Businessday