Bola Tinubu, The President, And Godswill Akpabio, The Senate President Now Is The Moment To Create A School Police Force -By John Egbeazien Oshodi

After eight years of what appears to be an authoritarian so-called democratic environment, in which former president Muhammadu Buhari’s militarized democratic and religious type leadership permeated the police, the courts, prisons, and even the civil defense and national park service, we hope for institutional progress and a liberalized environment. The education sector—from elementary schools to colleges and universities—requires urgent growth. It is time to think about creating and implementing a unique system of armed sworn law enforcement officials with the power to make arrests who work full-time or in a setting associated with schools. Reports of students and schoolchildren being kidnapped or taken from their homes and schools, both on and off campus, are common.

A specific legislative act should be made to allow the employment of sworn police officers to conduct all law enforcement activities across the schools, dormitories, and facilities. This will enable the establishment of a school-based police system. This is in contrast to the pointless discussion about whether Nigeria needs state police, which will eventually take place.

As a result, schools will be better equipped to offer a safe learning environment, aid in the reduction of crime, and improve their school and community areas, resulting in improved learning and living conditions. Private schools may engage these government school police officers, and when they are not on duty, they may accept to work for the private schools in accordance with a contract.

A local government-school board should have control over school resource officers, or SROs as they are more commonly called. School police regularly engage in a range of actions to safeguard the safety and security of students, faculty, visitors, and the school environment.

As part of their responsibilities, school police officers will monitor the campus to deter and detect any potential threats or illegal activity. They will also keep a noticeable presence on the school grounds to deter unauthorized people from entering. In addition, they could be in charge of directing traffic during busy times like pick-up and drop-off hours. They ought to help maintain efficient and smooth traffic flow while ensuring the safety of both children and automobiles. Altercations, disagreements, and other disturbances that interfere with study are dealt with by school police. They intervene when necessary to keep things calm and guarantee everyone’s security. They intervene and resolve disputes,

School police patrol the campus each day to look for and close any security holes, such unsecured windows or doors. They might also keep an eye on security cameras and, if necessary, react to warnings or worrying activity.

School police officers are essential to the creation and implementation of emergency response plans in the event of emergencies. When first aid is required, they assist with evacuation efforts, give it when it’s needed, and collaborate with other emergency professionals to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of students and staff.

When working in schools, police officers regularly take part in events that improve their relationships with the faculty, staff, and larger school community. To promote trust and improve communication, they could take part in educational activities, mentorship programs, or community outreach initiatives. The school’s point of contact with the neighborhood police is the school police. They will aid in organizing actions to protect the school community and take care of any security issues with other law enforcement officers. School police should be funded by local governments and school boards.

Continued school kidnappings are a serious problem in Nigeria, with disastrous implications for individuals, families, and communities. Abductions are typically interpreted as a failure to provide schools with the safe and secure environment that parents and pupils expect. Again, recurring danger and security issues can be addressed by establishing police units solely for schools. Former President Buhari stated that states and local governments should improve security around schools in response to recent and ongoing attacks and kidnappings for ransom. It’s time to build a system that properly polices schools and the surrounding environment.

Professor John Egbeazien Oshodi, who was born in Uromi, Edo State, Nigeria, to a father who served in the Nigeria police for 37 years, is an American-based police and prison scientist and forensic, clinical, and legal psychologist. A government consultant on matters of forensic-clinical psychological services in the USA; and a former interim associate dean and assistant professor at Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African Settings. A former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Psychological Association. In 2011, he introduced state-of-the-art forensic psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C. and Nasarawa State University, where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. He has taught at various universities and colleges including Florida memorial University, Florida International University, Broward college, Lynn University, and currently an online faculty member at the Weldios university in Benin Republic, Nexus International University, Uganda, Nova Southeastern University and Walden University in USA.

Founder of the proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien Open University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of truth, ethics, and openness. Over forty academic publications and creations, at least 300 public opinion pieces on African issues, and various books have been written by him. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues. His most recent textbook publication is Concise Psychology: An Integrated Forensic Approach to Psychology for Global African Settings. Jos5930458@aol.com