The police, on their part, have been trying their best to actualize the set objectives, but their effort was not enough to earn them respect and the confidence of the people, as circumstances and the Nigerian factor stand as the main hindrance militating against their performance.

Insecurity, violence and other crime activities have reduced the image of the organization, once considered to be the best in the continent. The organization today witnessed a lot of decay occasioned by neglect by those in authorities, who only used its members when it matters and dumped them thereafter. In this our democratic set up, the police are often used to achieve so many things including election rigging in favour of a government candidate, without looking at the consequences or implication of their action, while those who rode on them to attain power, always forget about them afterward.

A close look at the organization would convinced many that the police, as an organization, found itself in this present predicament as a result of long time neglect which started during the past military administrations, and this was inherited by the present democratic administration. Not many people are aware of the inherent problems militating against the police, as the rules governing the organization, made it difficult for them to air their grievances or protest any action, which they deemed, contravened their condition of service.

Tell magazine of 06/06/05 documents a litany of woes from serving police officers which underscores their lack of commitment to doing the job of fighting violent crimes, assassination, etc as follows: ‘Nothing is free in the police. Right from recruitment, payments are made. According to a policewoman in Kaduna, every recruit was asked to make a compulsory but illegal payment of N30, 000. But that is just the beginning, as officers and men are made to pay for accommodation forms in some police barracks, while two families shared a one-bedroom apartment. And the barracks are an eyesore with no water and appropriate toilet facilities- faeces from burst pipes littered everywhere emitting putrid odour and polluting the environment. Transfer is dreaded, and in many cases, policemen are transferred without any relocation allowances.

An encounter with a policeman recently showed that the decay in the system is far beyond imagination, as many, if not all the personnel in the force are regretting joining the police to serve the country.

The policeman, who sought anonymity, said he regretted joining the Force, which he served for fifteen years, with nothing to show rather than the bad image, which they have in the eyes of the public.

He explained that the current administration, under President Olusegun Obasanjo, did not do anything positive to the police, rather than increasing the number of recruits and purchased of arms and ammunition to combat crime. The policeman explained that rather than look into the welfare of members of the organization, government concentrated on huge budgets in the name of the police with nothing to show, while a hasty recruitment exercise aimed at increasing the size of the organization end up absorbing criminals, who hide under the cover of the uniform to commit crime.

He further stated that as a corporal, with a diploma in accounting, after fifteen years of service still collect N12, 000 as monthly take home pay, which cannot even take him home. He stated in an unequivocal terms that he cannot die for Nigeria, a country which cannot take care of his needs, despite his commitment and service to it.

‘’I have put up fifteen years in the service, but my N12, 000 monthly salary cannot meet my needs, talk less of paying my children school fees. How do you want me to sacrifice my life for Nigeria? No way!’’ he exclaimed.

He added that for the past four months, the Federal Government said they have increased police salary, a ploy that they planned against the in-coming administration, but uptil this moment nothing has been heard about the salary. ‘’ I am here on election duty for about two months now, the little allowances which the Inspector General of Police announced on air that he would pay everybody before the election has not reach us uptil now. Can you see what I am talking about? he asked.’’ ‘’Concluding, he said, as I am on duty now, should the unexpected happen and I lose my life serving the country, the police will only give my family one month notice to quit the barracks for another officer to occupy, while only God knows when my entitlements would be given to them.’’ >From what the ‘’officer ‘’ adduced, the Nigerian Police is no doubt a shadow of its former self, due to long neglect and unpatriotic attitude of the nation’s leaders, who heavily depended on them for protection, but failed to live up to expectation in reviewing their welfare packages.

How can a sensible person pay an officer N12, 000 as monthly salary and expected him not to engage in crime when he has an AK 47 at his disposal for 24 hours. It beats one imagination to think that as an independent country, we would continued to enslaved our fellow countrymen in a country like ours, which is blessed with abundant resources.

Another police recruit declares, ‘I have no accommodation, my little salary is not paid regularly and I do not have enough time to rest. The money is given to our superior officers, but they keep coming with lies that the federal government has not paid them. Tell me why a policeman would not be hostile to the public? What baffles one is how a bloody councilor will go home with over N200, 000 as monthly package, while a security personnel who stake his life to serve the country cannot be paid N50, 000 as monthly take home pay. This information may be a portion out of other numerous that exposes the inadequacies of our leaders at the moment. By the time one goes near the armed forces and listen to their grievances, it may even be worse than what we heard from the police.

Even at death, policemen continue to suffer.

Colleagues raise the funds, which they are buried, and in many cases the commissioner of police in their state does not show up at the burial. When at death, an officer knows that he would be no less than a chicken, and that his family may still have to pay toll to their colleagues who are alive before they can collect their pensions or gratuities, what would make him risk his life in defence of the lives of others? The leadership of this organization, as well as the three arms of government which enjoyed the services of this agency, have equally failed in their responsibilities in addressing these teething problems, which has continued to affect the security of the nation, as well as send away will be investors from the country. The police, no doubt, faired badly under this democratic dispensation, despite their effort in attempting to combat crime, which is adjudged to be on the high side, according to statistics released by the organization.

Unless we addressed our priorities and consider the welfare of our fellow countrymen, especially those who stake their lives to protect me and you, as equally important like ours, we would continued to grapple with insecurity in our fatherland, where a person cannot be safe even in his own house, as the society continued to produce bad eggs even among the security operatives whose welfare packaged cannot meet their needs.

A word, they said, is enough for the wise.