By Christopher Oji
In a bid to tackle traffic challenges at the weekends, the Lagos State Police Command has involved spy police in traffic control across the state.
Officers and men of the spy police would work at the weekends in Lagos, as the police have observed that there were many activities and ceremonies during the weekend causing serious traffic, it was gathered.
Commissioner Of Police, Mr Imohimi Edgal, who addressed about 2000 spy policemen at the Police Training Institute, Ikeja, at the weekend, said everybody was aware of the chaotic traffic situation in the state, especially at the weekends where many ceremonies and other activities always too place.
He said people were also aware that the police have no adequate manpower to cover the state, saying that the situation had compelled the police authorities in the state to involve the spy police in traffic control.
“We have 6,000 well trained spy police in the state. The concept of spy police is to take care of shortage of manpower in the regular police duties. They are trained to carry out functions where there is a shortage .The police can call them to certain specific duties, including traffic control. We are using them optimally.
“As you all know, Lagos is wide. Many people and vehicles are coming in each day. We want to fight the problem of gridlock, especially at the weekends so that the roads will be free. Lagos should move. I would rather use trained spy police than many questionable agencies springing up daily. We have trained our spy police and inculcated discipline in them. We have trust in them as we have a way of checkmating and disciplining them.
“The Officer in charge of Training School has been directed to work out modalities on how they would work with the regular police to avoid confusion. He knows where and how to assign duties to them. We want every junction to have officers manning it. We need free flow of traffic and we don’t need to waste time on the roads.
By next weekend, you will be seeing them on the roads in their well-designed black uniforms. Members of the public are advised to cooperate with them and assist them in the enforcement of their duties. They have the right to caution and to arrest traffic offenders. They are not alone as the regular police would be there to supervise them,” he said.
“He warned commercial motorcycle operators (okada riders) to avoid government-restricted routes, noting that the laws banning them on the routes were still in enforcement. He equally appealed to commercial bus drivers and taxicab operators to keep to the rules of driving, as the police would not fold their arms and watch them break the traffic laws.
He charged the spy policemen to live up to the mandate given to them and not to abuse the trust bestowed on them by his office, warning that there were also enabling laws guiding their operations.