…IG’s order on indiscriminate transfer of cases laudable
Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP) Olohundare Moshood Jimoh at the weekend said the command has the expertise and equipment for seamless forensic investigation.
He gave the assurances during an interactive session with crime reporters in Ikeja, stressing that the police forensic experts were among the best anywhere in the world.
Making reference to an incident which occurred while he was a Deputy Commissioner of Police at the Murtala Mohammed Airport Command in Ikeja, CP Jimoh recalled how the expertise of investigators from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, who worked with his team at the Airport Command helped in resolving a rather complex case.
According to him, almost all the international organisations in the country were conversant of this fact and usually preferred to work with Nigeria police investigators in their team because they bring to bare certain levels of ingenuity- technical and technological- intelligence needed to resolve crime puzzles.
“You see our police investigators are the best. While their counterparts in most parts of the world rely heavily on technology and cannot function if there is glitch in such gadgets, our investigators have the raw intelligence and apply them in where and when necessary.
Read Also; Why Muslims must sustain acts of worship after Ramadan, by Sheik Yunus
“We also have equipment at the forensic unit and they are deployed when and where necessary. However, that doesn’t mean there is no room for more. As technology continues to advance, there will always be need for upgrade. But it is not true to say that our forensic investigation unit is not working,” said CP Jimoh.
On indiscriminate transfer of cases, the police boss re-echoed the position of the Inspector General (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, which he said has brought sanity and ensured that investigations of cases were no longer disrupted unnecessarily.
“There is a complete stop to indiscriminate transfers of cases. The IGP gave that directive a while ago and it is being enforced.
“If you are investigating a case at a lower level, another authority at a higher level cannot just request a transfer like it used to happen.
“Now, if there are any complaints, you should request the duplicate case file. The department investigating the case at the lower level will send you the duplicate file for your review. If, upon examination, you find that there are gaps or grey areas that the lower authority has not addressed, you must write a letter to the IGP requesting approval for the transfer and providing evidence to back your request.
“This new development has put a halt to such actions and by so doing, reduce the undue burden placed on parties as a result of prolonged investigations when cases are indiscriminately transferred.
“Investigation is a scientific approach aimed at placing the suspect or the accused at the scene of the crime. That is the essence of investigation and when cases are moved between police divisions, units or commands, valuable time is wasted and scene of crime could also be compromised,” he stated.
The CP also appealed to residents to assist the police in their work by staying away from crime or incident scenes to avoid contaminating the area before investigators could get samples.