By Ayodele Oni
Osun State Police Command has explained that the Special Constabulary scheme is voluntary service and meant for gainfully employed individuals.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Opalola Yemisi, made the clarification while reacting to the protest by constabulary officers.
The constabularies protested on Wednesday against unpaid 18 months stipends in the State capital, Osogbo .
Some of them, with placards stated that non payment of their allowances has made them to lose their wives to Okada riders.
But the police image maker said that “The Community Policing Constabulary Scheme of the Force is a purely voluntary service which is Federal Government initiative to improve security at the grassroots.
“This is done through training and therafter incorporating individuals with prior paid employment, who desire to spend their spare time assisting the police in its simple police tasks within their various communities.”
She pointed out that the scheme was to promote community partnership in crime control via the presence of respected members of the public, with sources of livelihood, partnering with the Force under the scheme to render voluntary service for better and improved policing within their communities.
The Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, CP Olawale Olokode, re-emphasized that, the scheme was voluntary and no payments were agreed with the individuals under the scheme neither were paid terms of appointment discussed prior to its commencement.
“However, the State Government, or Local Government where they are serving may decide to give stipends to the members of the special Constabularies recruited by them for this assignment in their State, which does not interfere or change the constitution of the scheme.”
He held meeting with some of the members of the Scheme at the State Command Headquarters not minding the fact that, there was no basis for their action of embarking on the street protest for “non payment of salaries” which was not part of the agreement in Principle.
In response, the protesters appreciated the CP for his fatherly roles and they all promised to abide by the rules of engagement.
