It is with great sense of professional fulfilment that I welcome you all to this very important occasion which is the opening ceremony of a 3-day Intensive Capacity Building Workshop for Police Public Relations Officers across all Commands and other Formations of the Nigeria Police Force. This workshop, with the theme, “Crime Scene Management and Conclusive Criminal Investigations – The Role of Police Spokespersons”, will hold from today, through to 3rd September, 2021.
2. Ladies and gentlemen, this workshop is organized in partnership with the Nigeria – German Development Cooperation (GIZ). I sincerely appreciate the Head of Component, GIZ Nigeria, Gertjan de Gruijter, for GIZ’s approval and for undertaking to sponsor and organize this workshop as part of the many interventions by the organization in building and strengthening Police structures and capacity in Nigeria. I am reliably informed by the Force Public Relations Officer, who has been interacting with the GIZ team on behalf of the Force, that the workshop would be in two (2) batches with the first batch holding here in Lagos and the second in Abuja. This is for the purpose of positive intellectual impact and also in compliance with the COVID-19 prevention regulations.
3. Let me state that I am particularly excited about this workshop, owing to the fact that, it is coming at a time when the Force is implementing a new Manpower Development Policy, which amongst other things, focuses on improving capacity of Police personnel across all ranks, in line with new policing standards and best practices.
4. This workshop for Police Public Relations Officers is timely and unique in many ways. One of these, is the contextual theme of the workshop which seeks to develop robust forensic awareness and knowledge for our Spokespersons. This in itself flows from contemporary public relations practice which identifies Police spokespersons across the world as one of the first responders to crime scenes. This is in addition to many other important roles played by Police Spokespersons in managing crime incidents throughout the investigative processes. These roles are germane to the pursuit of professional criminal investigations and the dispensation of justice to both the victims and defendants.
5. This course also seeks to equip the participants with skills necessary for effective descriptive, analytical and strategic communication touching on criminal investigations and procedure. This in turn will enable them acquire relevant skills to give appropriate responses to citizens and media enquiries into matter of forensic and evidential nature connected to ongoing criminal investigations.
6. I have no doubt that the 3-days workshop would, amongst other benefits, impact Police Spokespersons positively, particularly in the areas of Strategic Communication and Crime Scene Management. In addition, participants of this course must be reminded that, to succeed as Police Image Makers, they must be versatile and have deep theoretical and practical knowledge of all aspects of policing, covering administration, operations, investigations, forensics, amongst others. Therefore, the quest for resourcefulness, remains an integral part of the objective of this course.
7. I encourage the participants to take advantage of the opportunities the workshop presents, to interact, cross fertilize and broaden their skills, especially in responding to crime incidents and to fit-in to the ever demanding, dynamic but necessary task of information management and public engagement, for the Force. I am confident that the trainees will put up their best of performance throughout the period of the training and reflect the knowledge gained in their service delivery.
8. The Nigeria Police, under my watch, remains committed to well-thought-out and goal-driven partnership and collaborations, with progressive and positive-minded organizations such as the GIZ, targeted at enhancing professional, structural and operational capacity of the Force. The Force would sustain this relationship and open new areas of collaborations, particularly ones touching on capacities on criminal investigations, respect for human rights, access to justice for citizens, improved transparency and accountability in policing actions, and other deliberate efforts aimed at strengthening citizens’ complaint response system.
9. Once again, Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to this event and I wish you a robust and professionally-rewarding engagement. On this note, it is my singular honour to declare this Workshop open. I thank you for your attention.
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