Police Training School Commandant Reels Out Achievements At Passing Out Parade

The Commandant of the Nigerian Police Training School,ACP Egbetokun has enumerated the achievements of the School under his watch.He made this at the recent passing out of some officers .

This was his statement at the passing out parade held at the school's training School in Ikeja Lagos.

It is with great pleasure and gratitude to God that I welcome you all to the Passing out Parade of Supernumerary Police Course 4/2017.

The trainees who are passing out today have gone through several weeks of intensive training approved for the Supernumerary Police Officers by the Inspector General of Police.

Under Section 18(a) of the Police Act CAP P19, Supernumerary Police Officers are recruited and trained for private organizations and public institutions who desire their services. They are by law, members of the Force but are not regular Police Officers.

However, under Sec 18(c) of the Police Act Cap P19. They have powers, privileges and immunities of a Police Officer in the Police area in respect of which they are appointed and in any Police area adjacent thereto.

The Spy Police Officers are not to bear arms. They are therefore not given any form of firearm training. No arms drill, musketry or weapon handling. The training curriculum is nevertheless rich in content and adequate to equip the trainees with the knowledge and skills needed to function effectively as Supernumerary Police Officers in their respective organizations.

The Supernumerary Police Course 4/2017 was inaugurated on 12/08/2017. The inauguration ceremony signaled the commencement of an intensive training programme, the climax of which is the event we are witnessing today.

The journey to this passing out parade has both been rough and smooth. It is usually rough at the initial stage of training for the Recruit Trainee who is just coming into our training facility as a raw civilian often referred to as “Gorilla”. However as the training progresses what was rough initially becomes fun.

A typical training day starts at 0600hr with physical training and ends at 1800hr. during this period trainees are engaged in various field exercises such as unarmed combat, Drill, Sport and Fatigue. They are also taken through courses in Professional Police Studies, Legal Studies, Liberal Studies and Field Studies.

The course was rounded-off with a standard end of course examination, and a drill test, followed by the Commandant’s Interview.

The Commandant’s Interview is a compulsory Board Interview for all Trainees who are successful in the final examination. Unlike the previous set where fake certificates were detected during the Commandant’s Interview, no trainee in this squad was found wanting by the Board of Interviewers.

I  can therefore say with all sense of responsibility and without fear of contradiction that the trainees who are passing out today have been found worthy both in character and in learning and have satisfied all requirements for appointment as Supernumerary Police Officers.

I congratulate members of the passing out squad for the successful completion of the course.
I salute your courage for enduring the rigor of the training to the end. I commend your team spirit and your good conduct throughout the course.

I know it took a lot of courage and sacrifice to complete this course but I do hope you enjoyed your experience with us. The uniform you are wearing is a symbol of authority, the warrant card you are going to carry confers on you powers, privileges and immunities of a Police Officer. These powers, privileges and immunities are to be protected and must not be abused.

The warrant card is not a license to drive against one way; it is instead a charge to protect the law. Your conduct in and out of uniform is expected to reflect the discipline you have imbibed in this training.

You have done very well in this training.

Your average performance in academics was above average, your performance in sports was excellent, your team work was very good, your leadership rating was excellent, your project work was excellent but your performance in drill test was just average, your over-all assessment is however rated excellent.

I congratulate you once again for this impressive performance but let me remind you that the period of your training was too short to learn everything about the Police. 

You are therefore expected to continue the learning process after you have passed out. Learning is a continuum, your Commandant is also still learning.

As you leave today, I urge you to go out there and be good ambassadors of the Police Training School, Ikeja. 

When  I  assumed duty  as Commandant   of this School in August, 2015, I  said in my maiden address to my Officers that “if my Predecessor handed over to me  a good School, I will want to  hand over to my Successor a better School".

My idea of a better School is a School that offers an improved learning environment and seeks to deliver completely on its mandate of turning out quality products. A school that is committed to excellent Standard and that is  a pride to its graduates, staff and the Nigeria Police Force.

Today, we can unequivocally and proudly say we have that better school. We are however still far from where we want to be. We have improved on Infrastructure. We have improved on standard and quality of training. We are turning out top quality products. We have inspired confidence and we rely on our integrity.

The former Commissioner of Police Lagos State. CP Fatai Owoseni engaged us in giving Policemen in Lagos State Command a special training in ethics and professional conduct with the objective of effecting a change in their attitudes and giving them a positive orientation in line with the vision of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris.

We have handled this Re-orientation Course with utmost commitment and passion and have recorded huge success in this regard.  Over 3,000 of them have been trained with emphasis on values of honesty and transparency, of benevolence and humanness and of expertise and effectiveness. The positive feedback we are getting on those that have attended this re-orientation course has been so encouraging.

The changes we have made and all the achievements we are proud of did not come at no cost.  Attempts have been made to discredit us through malicious and libelous publication against me and few of my Officers in the social media by a few who were profiting from the old system that we have changed and who see us as obstruction in their illegalities.

Inspite of all these, we have remained undaunted and have continued to march on. Our commitment to excellent standard and integrity is unwavering and irrevocable.

I congratulate you for being graduates of this great School.  We are not there yet but we are certainly on the right track.  I challenge whoever my successor will be to be prepared to take the School to the next level. I am proud that when the time comes, I will be leaving behind for my successor a team of dedicated, hardworking, dynamic and motivated staff who are committed to the lofty idea of a better School.

You will recall that the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Imohimi Edgal, in his determination to ensure effective Policing in Lagos State through community safety partnership disclosed that he has concluded plans to start deploying Supernumerary Police Officers for Traffic Management in Lagos State.

This disclosure was made in his address to the Spy Police Officers in Lagos on this Parade Ground, on Saturday 7th October, 2017.

I can foresee that this unprecedented development will lead to further integration of the Spy Police in the security architecture of Lagos State. This will no doubt spread to other States of the Federation if proved successful in Lagos.

I thank the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris for the opportunity given to us to serve in this School. I thank the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Emmanuel Inyang for the opportunity given to us to train this squad and for giving us the necessary support. 

I thank everyone of you who contributed one way or the other to the success of this course.  I specially thank your leadership, the G1, the A1 and the rest of the executive members who have represented you well. I thank your Course Coordinators, DSP Samuel Ajolore and team for providing you with the right direction.

I thank all your Lecturers and your Drill Instructors without whom today would not have been possible.  I thank our invited guests and everyone who is here today to witness this occasion. 

Finally, I specially thank all the members of staff of this Training School for their support, sacrifice, doggedness and commitment to duty during every training programme in this School.