Group calls for better communication skills for police officers and men

A non-governmental organisation, Care for Welfare International, has called for enhanced interpersonal communication to promote effective policing.

The group made the call on Tuesday in Calabar during a one-day training designed to enhance interpersonal communication between officers and men of the force and the public.

Facilitator of the training, Mr Damian Ifeanyi, told the Newsmen that police officers and men would make more impact if they clearly understood why they were in the service and effectively communicate same to the people.

Ifeanyi said that no one could reform the force from outside, until it started to take practical steps to reform itself through its policies.

He observed that Nigerians did not hate policing, but police officers and men often times failed to communicate their duties to the populace effectively.

“We decided to train the police to remind them that whatever they expect from the public, they should first give it.

“A lot of times, police officers will want to call your attention to a certain error; but instead of politely verbalising their message, they resort to hostility, thus sending the wrong message.

“We are trying to ensure that the police communicate in the manner that the public understands.

“They need to come to terms with the need to portray good body language that is appealing to the public,’’ Ifeanyi said.

One of the participants, SP Elemi Bassey, said the training had enabled those in attendance to assess them better and learn to communicate better with the public.

Bassey noted that with the lecture manual, those trained could educate others on proper ways of communicating, to ensure effectiveness in service delivery.

Another participant, Insp Ebi Abetta, described the training as very enlightening and appealed that it should be extended to more officers and men to enhance their communication skills.