PSC Chairman Argungu Outlines Qualities Needed for Effective Policing in Nigeria

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police Hashimu Argungu, has highlighted the core qualities Nigeria’s police officers must embody, stressing professionalism, integrity, and adaptability to emerging security challenges.

Speaking at a high-level workshop in Abuja — organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), development partners, and the governments of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States — Argungu said officers must have a sound grasp of the law, police orders, and instructions, while demonstrating efficiency, courtesy, tact, impartiality, and integrity.

The workshop, themed “Command Leadership for Ethical and Trauma-Informed Security Response”, focused on ethics, mental health, and the future of policing in Nigeria.

Ethics, Recruitment, and Mental Health

Argungu underscored ethics as the foundation of professional policing.

“Ethics training will help police departments recognise their full potential, as officers use significant discretion in enforcing the law at the appropriate time and place,” he said.

On recruitment, he stressed the importance of medical fitness, noting that health screenings must cover deformities, speech impediments, dental or jaw malfunctions, flat feet, bent limbs, defective eyesight, amputations, and other conditions that could hinder performance.

He also addressed stress factors in policing, linking them to operational trauma, organisational issues like poor leadership and inadequate staffing, and personal pressures such as financial hardship and family challenges. If unchecked, he warned, these could result in burnout, depression, substance abuse, or even suicide.

Emerging Threats

Looking ahead, Argungu identified social media and digital platforms as new challenges for policing, with potential misuse in spreading propaganda or mobilising hooligans to destabilise society.

He emphasised the need for officers to be trained in cybercrime detection and to understand the impact of technology on business and everyday life in the 21st century.

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