The primary functions of the Service are those stipulated in Section 1 of the Police Service Act, 1970 (Act 350). It states among others that: “It shall be the duties of the Police Service to prevent and detect crime, to apprehend offenders and to maintain public order and safety of persons and properties”.

Service to the Public

Apart from the normal Police duties, the Police render other important services to the public. Some of these are:

• Performing Motor Traffic duties to ensure safety on our roads.
• Vetting and issuance of Police Criminal check certificates.
• Assisting and helping the female gender to deal with traumatic and psychological problems as a result of sexual abuse (usually against minors). WAJU deals with this.

Contributions to the States

The Police Service renders an invaluable contribution to the state on daily basis, through the expeditious performance of its mandatory functions; providing security and ensuring the maintenance of law and order for a peaceful national elections and subsequent transition of government was an immediate past major contribution worth mentioning.

Apart from this, there are ongoing joint operations with the Military to clamp down on the increasing rate of armed robbery that seems to have engulfed the major cities in the country. The fact that this has yielded tremendous success cannot be over emphasized. The normal day and night patrols in residential areas continued in a bid to deter criminals. A number of arrests and subsequent prosecutions were made, all to ensure the necessary internal peace and tranquility needed for the success of the Government’s economic revitalization exercise.

Potential for Private Investors

On the advice of the Police administration, government has allowed the participation of the private sector in the provision of internal security. As a result there are, presently, a number of private security organizations performing guard duties in various companies (i.e. banks, offices, foreign missions, recreational facilities, etc.).

These companies operate under the supervision and directive of the Police Administrations. Registration and licensing to operate are issued after intensive training in security operations. To monitor and evaluate their performance, there are regular schedule meetings between the Police Administration and the management of these private security organizations.