From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
By the provisions of the Nigerian Police Act, female police officers are more or less restricted to women and children issues. Those of them recruited to the General Duties branch are also made to perform clerical duties, telephone duties and office orderly duties in order to relieve the male police officers from such duties. They were mostly made to be seen and not heard.
But the trend is changing. Many female police officers now handle strategic duties and also lead operations in the field to the admiration of their male counterparts.
In Anambra State Police Command, the bug to empower female police officers gathered momentum when a woman, Nkiru Nwode, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, was appointed the Command’s spokesperson. She is the first woman to hold such position.
With the arrival of the new Commissioner of Police, Garba Baba Umar, the tempo in encouraging female police officers has been notched up.
The Command recently convened a conference of women police officers where women serving in the Force were not only encouraged to be the best in their chosen police careers, but were also reinvigorated in spirit to know that they were being appreciated for their works.
To CP Umar, the need to have a courageous and valiant police force would not be left solely in the hands of the male personnel alone.
He said that an improved welfare and working conditions for the women police, as one of the major stakeholders, whose knack to uncover criminal hideouts could not be swept under the carpet by gender differences.
Umar said in line with most advanced nations of the world, the women police was one of the most respected personnel used for espionage and other detective functions and that they should be considered for improved working incentives that would bring out the best in them.
“The essence of effective policing and coordination among security operatives would, at times, be effectively carried out by the women police, owing to their careful nature in handling sensitive matters in homes and in the public functions,” he said.
Umar also advocated a robust environment, where women police would be given a first line charge of operation in the country’s policing system as a veritable personnel whose dexterity to hard-work and professionalism would, no doubt, offer the best alternative to security advantages.
Wife of the Commissioner of Police and Chairperson, Police Officers Wives Association (POWA), Hajiya Khadijat Fayek-Umar while reacting to some inroads uncovered by the women police to further buttress the need for enhanced welfare package and working conditions for women police, said the need to have a healthy working condition for women police was paramount and should be pursued with all vigour.
The CP’s wife promised to facilitate several programmes like health lectures, which would help the women police to be on top of their game physically and psychologically.
Speaking on behalf of the women police officers in Anambra Command, ASP Nwode extolled Umar’s commitment to the overall welfare of the officers in the state, pointing out that his acknowledgement of the importance of the Nigerian female police in the nation’s force system is equal to none.
Nwode lauded the initiative of constant meetings and interactions among policewomen serving in the state, noting that such would boost the morale of the officers and rank and file just as it would create a bond of sisterly relationship among them.
She hinted that such periodic meetings would be taking place on rotational basis among the area commands in the state.
A female police officer, Sergeant Chika Njoku received commendation from the commissioner of police for leading a team of policemen to uncover and arrest an armed robbery gang hideout in Nnewi where they recovered two AK-47, short-guns and live ammunition.