The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Malam Shehu Mohammed, has issued a stern reminder to officers, emphasising that traffic offenses should not be treated as criminal offenses.
He made the statement at the 4th Quarter Strategy Session of the FRSC High Command on Thursday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme for the 2024 end-of-year strategy session is “Strengthening Strategies for a Safe Festive Season.”
Mohammed stressed the importance of approaching traffic offenders with emotional intelligence, promoting constructive and respectful interactions.
“I wish to reiterate that traffic offenses are not criminal offenses. Therefore, interactions with traffic offenders should be approached with the necessary emotional intelligence,” he said.
He also urged patrol operatives to act as advocates of safety rather than instilling fear.
“Operatives should be mentored to apply strategic retreat in cases of extreme provocation.
“This is the only way we can change the public’s perception of our operations, especially with the anticipation of our armed squad,” he added.
Regarding discipline and capacity building, Mohammed highlighted ongoing efforts to train and retrain FRSC officers.
He addressed reports of compromised safety standards at tanker loading points, which have led to fire incidents following tanker crashes.
“Commanding Officers (COs) are expected to increase efforts in monitoring staff at tank farms to ensure tankers meet minimum safety standards before being cleared for loading,” he said.
He also called on COs to close the gaps that allowed for the illegal production and circulation of fake number plates, stressing that the activities of touts were tarnishing the image of the FRSC.
Mohammed outlined several training initiatives aimed at improving the agency’s capacity.
He said between September 10 and 13, 364 Unit and Outpost Commanders were trained at the FRSC Academy in Udi.
“Additionally, 80 officers from Assistant Route Commander (ARC) to Chief Route Commander (CRC) were trained on strategic communication in mid-October at the Nigeria Army Resource Centre, Abuja.
“In August, 415 marshals participated in a refresher course on patrol and rescue operations at the RMA Training School,” he noted.
He assured that the management would continue to enhance staff capacity through training and retraining to boost productivity.