FG warns Police against arbitrary arrests.

The Federal Government has warned the Nigeria Police Force against the mass raiding of civilians, arbitrary arrests and detentions beyond constitutionally defined limits.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo gave the warning while inaugurating a retreat for the Police High Command and officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs in Abuja.

Sambo said these trends must stop to sustain democratic policing in the country and urged the Police to change their operational strategy to reflect modern trends.

He said the Police must embrace modern scientific policing to augment their already commendable community policing initiative.

Sambo said many years of under funding of the Police had left the country with a police force that could not perform its constitutional role effectively.

The vice-president said the Federal Government had accepted the cost implication of this reform programme, which would last a total of six years at the cost of ''about N1.5 trillion.

He maintained a dynamic funding option was adopted in view of the fact that the amount was above the capacity of the Federal Government.

Sambo further asked the Nigeria Police to prioritise the implementation of community policing.

According to him, the underlying objective of the government is to build safer and more secure environments for future generations.

The vice-president expressed the hope that the participants of the retreat would come out with a frank and common position that will help, not only to restore the image of the Force but also to reposition it.

In his remark, the Minister of Police Affairs,Adamu Waziri, noted that the administration had demonstrated a remarkable effort to reform the Nigeria Police.

He said this was manifested in the salary increase of a Police Constable by the government by 300 per cent and the acceptance and subsequent commencement of implementation of the M. D. Yusuf Report.

The top retired and serving police officers as well as civilian members of staff of the Ministry of Police Affairs attended the one-day retreat.