The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd, mni, has said that a Police Officer in all circumstances must have a thorough understanding and knowledge of the law, and of Police orders and instructions and must develop the attributes of efficiency, courtesy, tact, integrity and impartiality.
DIG Argungu in a key note address presented to the participants of an ongoing high-level workshop which began in Abuja yesterday, September 15th 2025 and organised for security personnel y the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, Development Partners and Governments of Bornu, Adamawa and Yobe States also noted that current threats to the future of Policing and security in Nigeria are no longer primarily coming from the conventional (traditional) factors of the usual narrative – unemployment, poverty, out-of-school children, etc.
He spoke on “Ethics, Mental Health and the Future of Policing and Security in Nigeria” with the theme “Command Leadership for Ethical and Trauma-Informed Security Response”, where he noted that it is important for Police Officers to study ethics and the professional code of ethics since, according to him, they are the bedrock of the Policing code of conduct.
DIG Argungu said ethics training will help Police departments/institutions recognise their full potential, as officers use a lot of discretion in the conduct of their duties, which include the enforcement of the law at the appropriate time and place.
The PSC Chairman also spoke on the implications of medical health requirements for enlistment into the Nigeria Police Force, adding that medical health examination will help evaluate “if the candidate is medically fit to meet the physical requirements of the job”.
He said deformities and abnormalities tests must be carried out as part of the medical health requirements, adding that a candidate for admission must be free of impediment in speech, gross malfunction of teeth or jaw preventing proper mastication of food, knock knees, bent knees, bant knees, flat feet, bent arms. Others include: deformed hands, defective eyesight or squint eyes, amputation of any kind, etc.
DIG Argungu explained that Police stress stems from operational factors like trauma exposure and dangerous incidents, organisational issues such as poor management, shift work and lack of peer support and external societal pressures, “which can lead to issues like burnout, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD)”.He noted the categories of stressors, which he said include operational stressors, which are inherent like police work, including exposure to violence, traumatic events and the potential for danger; Organisational stressors that come with issues of insufficient staffing, poor leadership, excessive overtime, lack of proper equipment and strict or poorly enforced policies.
Others include Personal/External stressors such as factors like financial difficulties, social and family pressures, societal influences, as well as internal factors related to individual Officers’ emotional well-being.
DIG Argungu said the consequences of Police stress are that it can lead to various mental and physical health problems, including mental health disorders, burnout, substance misuse and suicide.
On the future of Policing and security in Nigeria, the PSC Chairman said the key challenges and threats that the country is facing now are”social media as well as digital channels, which can also be used for malicious content and propaganda and” ooligans, employed by undesirable elements to recruit and mobilise followers “
The PSC Chairman noted that in this era of the 21st Century, “all security Officers will have to have training in the recognition of offences committed by computer nd how electronically based technology affects businesses and everyday life.
