The Police Service Commission has raised the minimum entry requirement for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force from Secondary School Certificate to Ordinary National Diploma, and has also said it would no longer accept holders of Third Class Degrees as cadet inspectors.
PSC Commissioner and Chairman, Public Affairs Committee, Ms Comfort Obi, said this is in line with the ongoing reforms in the recruitment of police officers as part of efforts to consolidate policies introduced to bring in efficiency and discipline into the police force.
This is in addition to background checks carried out on applicants in order to weed out shady characters, and also polygraph tests to identify drug users and alcoholics among them.
She said, “The mechanism put in place by the commission is in line with police regulations to ensure that bad eggs don’t find their way into the force. We are focusing on the recruitment process and have raised the minimum entry requirements.
“SSCE holders can no longer join the police as constables; even a third class degree holder cannot join the Cadet Inspector cadre. The minimum qualification for a constable is OND and it must include six credit passes in SSCE including Credit pass in English and Mathematics.”
The PSC Commissioner in charge of Strategy, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, explained that written examinations had been introduced for applicants, adding that promotions in the force were based on merit.
He disclosed that 599 cases of indiscipline were treated between 2008 and 2011 while 94 officers were compulsorily retired, and a number of others were sanctioned for various offences.
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