From Federal to State

From Federal to State/LG Police - A Proposal

Mobolaji E. Aluko, PhD
Burtonsville, MD, USA

Some objections have been raised as to why states and even local governments should be clamoring for their own police when they cannot
even pay for all their civil servants right now.

The fact of the matter is that once there is a political will to achieve
an objective then there is always a political way. But if that will is
missing, every objection becomes a Mount Kilimanjaro to climb over.

But it need not be, if we believe the intrinsic value of the idea in question. I will make that assumption here.

So how do we go ahead with initiating state and local police without bankrupting the lower levels?

(1) Let us assume that there are roughly 290,000 NPF members right now,
all being currently FEDERAL POLICE. If we assume that there 2,000 of them
manning Abuja, that leaves ON AVERAGE 8,000 per state. Right?

(2) Ok, we leave all the 2000 in Abuja as FEDERAL or Capital City Police. Of the 8,000 in each state (note that I am simply dealing in averages), we set a 10%-30%-60% ratio (or whichever ratio menu is agreed) as follows:

(i) 800 to be Federal Police in each state - with Headquarters in each state capital and senatorial district headquarters; reporting to the IG, the Federal AG, and President. They will handle interstate crime prevention,
; detection and prosecution.

(ii) 2,400 to be State Police, with Headquarters in each state
capital and local government council headquarters,
reporting to the State AG, Police Commissioner &
Governor. They will handle intrastate crime, and patrol
state roads, state buildings, etc. ;

(iii) 4,800 to be Local Government Police, with Headquarters in each local government council HQ; reporting to the LG Attorney, LG Chairman, etc. They will handle intra-LG crime,
LG roads, buidlings, etc.

(iv) the Federal government could take 20% or even 30% (or double/triple its relevant ratio) of current annual budget for the NPF for itself, and give the rest to the States and say, "From now on till the next 5 years, we will fund you at this level from the rest of the money; after that, you are on your own."

    (v) The hierarchy of power would be that the Federal government
         can use emergency powers to take over the state police powers (possibly drafting Federal   police from nearby states) and the state government can use emergency powers to take over LG powers, if each
         higher level that those powers are being misused. Such
         powers should be granted by an act or edict of the
         appropriate legislative body.

    (vi) any incorporated establishment can have its own
          intra-establishment security force, provided that force is
          registered at the nearest local government police
          headquarters, and undergoes some mandatory official training.

I would suggest UNIFORM police uniform for ALL LG police, another UNIFORM for all State, and (if need be, though not necessary) another UNIFORM for all Federal Police, with insignias merely to different from state to state or local government to local government.

Suppose a particular state does not want state police? Sure - then thy
get ONLY Federal Police, all 8,000 of them! Those states which want state
police get it, and those which don't don't! That is democracy!

The above are some of the structural and some financial aspects of this
issue, and do not speak to the EFFICIENCY aspect.

Efficiency comes about not only because there is now LOCAL CONTROL by
those that the LOCAL PEOPLE elected - hence there is LOCAL
ACCOUNTABILITY, we should now have LOCAL IDENTIFICATION of the POLICE with the Populace. How do we achieve that?

(3) The Federal Government keeps the BEST 10% (roughly a total of 30,000, or some agreed number ) as Federal Police, and they can be posted anywhere in the country, irrespective of their ethnic origin. It would however be nice to have for example 50% coming from a particular state, zone or region, and 50% from out of state, zone or region.

(4) For the rest of the 260,000, the Federal Government as their former
employer gives each of them four choices:

(i) fires those with bad records (this is not their choice
really!); with a year's salary to resettle.

(ii) retire with pension;

(iii) stay in present state that they are, but be prepared to
convert to State and Local Government Police;

    (iv) return to their state of origin or of language spoken by them
          with respect to the majority of the populace. A six-month
          salary bonus is paid for those who so move.

Whatever the decision, there should be NO LOSS IN SALARY for all of the
police men so affected, although there could be differential pay between
Federal, State and local government police. Also, eventually for new
recruits, there will be differential pay between states depending on their
ability to pay.

(5) After this VOLUNTARY shifting around (or staying put) has been
achieved, each state then assesses whether it has ENOUGH policemen to man its security, or TOO LITTLE or TOO MANY. There may be some negotiations with neighboring states and incentives - free housing or pay boost for a
time definite to attract police.

(6) The Federal Government gives a (maybe 3 year) grant to each
state for LOCAL sensitivity training - including learning the language, living with the community (no barracks) - better equipment, etc. It would give states more or less money for this depending on
any special needs.

After all of that, each state is ON ITS OWN, to determine how many state
or local policemen it needs, while the Federal government determines how
many it needs to ensure peace in the land, especially that the state and
local government police are not used as political instruments of terror if
there is fear of that.

Nothing wrong with this plan, is there?

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