According to Kayode Egbetokun, the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Nigeria needs to hire an additional 190,000 officers to fully secure the country.
According to NAN, Egbetokun spoke on Wednesday during the defence week for the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) senior executive course (SEC) 45 in Jos, Plateau state.
He stated that the requisite figure is required to match the United Nations (UN) approved police-to-population ratio.
Nigeria’s present police force strength is a little over 370,000 police officers, which is insufficient based on a ratio of one officer to around 600 residents.
The UN-recommended ratio is one officer for every nearly 450 inhabitants.
To fulfill the objective, Egbetokun believes the federal government should increase the annual police recruiting quota from 10,000 to 20,000.
“The Nigerian Police requires an additional 190,000 personnel to be at par with the United Nations recommendation,” he said.
“Inadequate manpower has resulted in low police presence and could hinder the federal government’s industrialisation efforts.
“Without sufficient police presence and response capabilities, industrial sites are vulnerable to criminal activities, thereby, hampering economic progress.
“As part of my recommendation for this lecture, my office will liaise with the chairman of the Police Service Commission and the minister of police affairs.
“I will recommend to the government the need to increase the annual intake of personnel into the force from 10,000 to 20,000, starting from 2024.”
Egbetokun went on to say that the government should direct the ministry of finance to provide cash for the force’s acquisition of contemporary crime-fighting equipment.
