The Nigeria Police Force has announced plans to strengthen its Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to speed up the handling of public complaints and improve accountability, transparency and public confidence in policing.
The Force also said it would deepen engagement with the media to improve public awareness and ensure more accurate reporting of its reform initiatives.
CSP Anietie Okokon Edem, the newly appointed Force Public Relations Officer, disclosed this on Friday during a courtesy visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council.
Describing the visit as a familiarisation tour, CSP Edem said the CRU remains one of the Force’s key internal accountability mechanisms, operating round the clock to receive, track and resolve complaints from members of the public.
He said the unit handles allegations of professional misconduct, extortion, harassment and human rights abuses involving police officers across the country.
According to him, recent upgrades to the CRU are designed to reduce response times, improve case tracking and make the complaint process more transparent.
He said the changes reflect the Inspector-General of Police’s commitment to institutional reform and greater accountability.
The Force PRO also announced plans to hold a media parley with Zone 7 to strengthen collaboration between the police and journalists at the zonal level.
He invited media practitioners to participate, saying the engagement would equip journalists with better information to report accurately on the Force’s ongoing reforms.
“Journalists are part of the police family,” CSP Edem said, stressing that informed reporting will help the public hold institutions to account while supporting constructive reform.
The NUJ FCT Council, led by its Chairman, Comrade Grace Ike, welcomed the planned improvements to the CRU and reaffirmed its willingness to work with the police.
Ike commended CSP Edem’s openness and pledged that journalists would continue to amplify citizens’ complaints while reporting developments within the CRU to ensure public scrutiny and follow-up.
She said stronger collaboration between the media and the police would improve public accountability and build greater confidence in the complaint process.