To decongest police cells in the country, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase, has banned Police Commands from detaining suspects before their trial in court.

The police boss further said that it was illegal for his men to detain a suspect without promptly arraigning him or her in court.

Addressing officers and men of the headquarters of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, Uyo during a one-day working visit to the state on Wednesday, Arase said that the move would also help to avoid un­necessary litigations against the police, as well as assist in restoring the confidence of Nigerians in the Force.

He described long detention of suspects before trial as unlawful and noted with dismay that the practice by police formations has caused a lot of legal problems for the Force.

His words: “The issue of pre-trial detention is creating a lot of prob­lems for us and I discourage you against it. Pre-trial detention subjects us to litigations because suspects seek the enforcement of their rights and lay claim to damages.”

Arase, whose visit to the state was described as a homecoming, said his experience as a for­mer Commissioner of Akwa Ibom State has helped him in implementing some strategic decisions as IGP.

Noting that there is no society that is entirely crime-free, he commended the officers of the command for their efforts in fighting crime and charged them to do more.

Highlighting some of his achievements, the IGP said that he has created platforms for the police to be transparent and accountable to the public.

He said that the elimination of roadblocks has been replaced with 700 Safer Highway Patrol vehicles across the country.

“I hated the idea of roadblocks and I replaced it with Safer Highway to reduce crime on our highways.

“700 vehicles are within the country and it has restored the con­fidence of Nigerians in the Nigeria Police and as closed up the spaces open to crime on the highways,” he said.

The police boss urged officers of the command to only investigate criminal cases and avoid civil and commercial matters, stressing that such cases should be resolved through other dispute resolution strategies.

He further said that he was in the state to appeal to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, to allocate a land to the Nigeria Police to build a housing estate for Inspectors and men in the rank and file cadre.

Commending the IGP for his innovations in the Police Force, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Murtala Mina, said that officers of his Command carry out their operations with elements of a human face, respect and dignity for all persons.

•Sourced from The AUTHORITY. Photo shows IGP Arase.