The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, has expressed worry over reports on crime being churned out by the media reports.
This, he said, is rather projecting Nigeria as the worst-off in terms of crime.
Arase said the Nigerian Police Force was not relenting on improved welfare for officers and men but why much is not being felt or heard about the on-going reforms is because of the years of decay in the sector.
“We are not saying the various crime and criminalities do not occur but the rate journalists magnify the situation in their reports not only creates fears in the minds of foreigners but give the impression that the police is not working”.
Arase who was on a one day working visit to Niger State gave instances with what he described as ‘over-bloated’ reports on the Fulani cattle breeders and farmers clash in Benue State and advise media organizations to always cross-check with the police to avoid negative consequences on Nigeria.
According to him, “Nigeria is not as bad as reported in crime because no society is free from crime it is just that it varies in nature and magnitude. I think it will do us more good as a country if we learn how to report crime being committed in our society to avoid scaring foreign investors.
“For every death recorded the police was informed, there is no way we will have like ten deaths or corpses brought to the police station but the next thing you see on the pages of paper the following day will frighten you. It is that bad.
“What many Nigerian media organizations don’t know is that when we have such reports we are sending wrong signals to the outside world giving the impression that people are being killed every second”, the IGP said.
Arase said no society was free of crime. “The rate of crime in Central African Republic and some other countries of the world is not in any way compared to what is happening here but here we believe that the more sensational the more readership it attracts”.
“Journalists should try and reflect side-by-side criminal occurrences and efforts being made by the police in tackling all forms of crime being committed in our society in their reports. In doing so people will understand that it is not entirely a lawless society”.
The IGP said he was forced to travel down to Benue State when reports being churned out became to horrifying that, what was reported by some media organizations about the communal feud does not in any way reflect exact picture of what happened.
Meanwhile, the IGP said he was not in any way losing focus in trying to improve on the welfare of his officers and men, adding that there are on-going housing projects to ease accommodation problems faced by the policemen in commands across Nigeria.
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