TRANSPORT DAY EDITORIAL-APRIL, 2021
In a bid to improve law enforcement and minimize the recurring frictions between law enforcement agencies and the public, Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, recently unveiled some sets of body cameras to be used by enforcement officers in the state.
According to the Governor, after the scheduled training of the officers in May, they would be expected to adorn the cameras while on operations.
The Governor said during the unveiling ceremony, at Lagos House, Ikeja, that when the cameras are fully deployed they would improve transparency and accountability in the activities of law enforcement agencies. He added that the devices would help to put the state government in a better position to respond to security challenges in real-time.
In the same vein, the General Manager Lagos Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Engr. Olajide Oduyoye, explained that the new body cameras will increase credibility and confidence in delivering of effective traffic management and enforcement.
The Director Vehicle Inspection Service, Engr. Akin-George Fashola, while responding to the development, reasoned that the initiative is a win-win procedure for both the Law Enforcement Officers and Motorists as the regular arguments on traffic laws violation will be put to rest through detailed recordings.
There is no doubting the fact that the Governor is in the right direction, as the deployment of body cameras for security agencies is the trend worldwide.
While Transport Day commend the Governor, we also task him to also look into the area of mounting surveillance cameras on busy roads where some motorists habitually defy traffic rules and cause untold hardship to other road users.
These cameras installed on these busy roads would go a long way in complementing the body cameras as law enforcers are always mobile.
Transport Day also call on other state governors as well as other law enforcement agencies at the federal level to also begin to think in the direction of the Lagos state government.
