Maureen Okpe
The Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) of the Ministry of Justice, has disclosed that plans are underway to engage the services of medical personnels in Police commands.
This the Committee revealed, during a training on first aid to Police officers of the FCT command, Abuja, is in line with the stipulations of the law in handling detainees in custody.
The Executive Secretary, Mr. Sulayman Dawodu said, the provision will go a long way in providing professional medical assistance to detainees, as the officer are scared of taking actions sometimes that may lead to indictment.
However, the officers were asked to affiliate themselves and command with c hospitals in the same vicinity, to curb the complaints of the Police officers rejection in hospitals when victims of accident and detainees are taken for treatment to the hospital.
Represented by the Senior Supervising Solicitor ACJMC, Police Duty Solicitor Scheme (PDSS) and Court Duty Solicitor Scheme, (CDSS), Mrs. Genevieve Ike Johnson, Dawodu reiterated, the importance of keeping the police detention facilities in good sanitary condition.
“The whole idea is centered on enhancing the knowledge of handling suspects with cases of health challenges.
“Interactions we had in the course of the first aid training and other meetings with the officers, has pointed us to the direction of making this happen.It is understood that this will go a long way in helping the services of the commands to the detainees.
” Like we always say, our work at the ACJMC and with the Police is more of a collaboration and partnership to aid the right administration of criminal justice, as we are trying to work in long term and not just a one time thing, to see ways that we can improve the system, no matter how small the intervention may seem.
“This is our way of intervention, to ensure custody management is pursued as it relates to the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act, to ensure that detainees are treated humanely, irrespective of their offences.”
Dr Idris Keji,the health facilitator for the first aid training, explained the appropriate ways and use of the first items in the kit.
Keji admonished the officers to always use items in the kit accordingly and replaced when used “as an empty first aid box looses its relevance and no one knows when emergency will happen.”
The committee promised to make provisions to replenish used items in the first aid kit if properly used.
Highlights of the event was the presentation of first aid kit and disinfecting materials to the division.