‘Police, Justice Ministry, Bar, Bench, others responsible for congestions in Correctional Centres’

The Police Command in Lagos State said that the public should not blame only  the police  for the large number of inmates in correctional centres across the state.
CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Lagos State , said this on Thursday.
Adejobi said that apart from the police, seven other individuals and organisations  involved in the Criminal Justice Administration were also  responsible for the congestion  found at the various correctional  centres in the state.
“There are the suspect, the  complainant,  the police, the Bar, the Bench, the Directorate of Public Prosecution, the  Ministry of Justice, and the Correctional Centres,’’ Adejobi said.
He was reacting to allegations  that the police were responsible for the large number  of inmates at the centres because they were alleged to be  fond of engaging in indiscriminate arrests.
Adejobi, however, said that despite the high number of inmates at the different centres, the command would  continue to perform its  constitutional  responsibilities.
According to him, the police certainly will perform their constitutional duties, hand over suspects to court for prosecution  and whatever happens, thereafter, should not be blamed on the police.
“The issue of many cases in Magistrates’ and other courts are not the  faults of the police  alone.
“The police work is to arrest and when they had  established that a  crime had been committed, they – police, will charge such  suspect(s) to court.
“This  also extends to a case of two fighting, except the complainant and  the offender decide to settle amicably.
“If the complainant wants to take the case further to court, the police have no fault. They are just performing their duty.
Adejobi, however, cautioned operatives against unprofessional conduct while carrying out their duties, adding that the command was devising means of resolving some cases out of court.
On attack on correctional centres, Adejobi said the command was tightening security in and around centres located in Badagry, Ikoyi and Kirikiri to avoid jail break.