The need to evolve a Police Force that embodies the values of Fairness, Justice, Equity, Human Rights Compliant and Efficient while occupying the Policing space in Nigeria informed the decision to enhance the working environment of Police lawyers and strengthen the Police Legal Section as one of the reform agenda initiative for the Force.

Also, the importance of the Police Legal Section cannot be over emphasised, but sufficed to say that it is their responsibility to guide investigation in the gathering, preservation and presentation of evidence as well as ensure respect for the rights of persons arrested by the Police.

Inspector-General of Police, Solomon said this would eventually occasion the successful prosecution of cases, saying the inability of Police lawyers, to effectively assume this strategic role, in the Policing space, has immensely contributed to the high rate of failure of investigation and prosecution of cases.

Arase said the defence of civil cases against the Police was also another important responsibility of Police Lawyers, saying the inability of Police lawyers to effectively defend civil cases against the Police has resulted in the award of damages and eventual garnisheeing of Police accounts.

According to him, If this situation is not urgently addressed, the Police may not be able to perform its functions as the limited budgetary allocations will be depleted and drown in the ocean of garnishee.

He said to address the unsavoury institutional challenges, he took some deliberate and effective steps aimed at building and reinvigorating the mental capacity of Police Lawyers, to reposition them in the discharge of their duties.

Arase said apart from the building, he had equally emplaced regular training and workshops for lawyers in the Police to deepen their knowledge of law, especially in the light of the recent passage of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

He said with the Legal building that boost of the best facility including state of the art Library and the many training programmes for the Nigeria Police Lawyers, it is hoped that the institutional challenges will be a thing of the past.

The Police Boss who would be leaving the force this month, urged the Police Lawyers to make use of the opportunities provided and be the best lawyers that they can be.

Arase who this known at the commissioning of facilities aimed at enhancing productivity of officers and men of the police, assured that the police would continue to work on improving the professional skills of the work force.

He decorated four newly promoted officers from the rank of commissioner of police to Assistant inspector general of police, saying the gesture would motivate officers to work harder, advising the promoted officers not to joke with the welfare of the officers under them.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of logistics, Mamman Tsafe urged the officers to maintain the new facilities so as to prevent mismanagement and depreciation.

Responding on behalf of the newly decorated officers, Assistant Inspector General of Police Usman Abubakar, pledged they will remain dedicated in discharging their duties.