TheCable

Mohammed Adamu, acting inspector-general of police, says police officers will now do eight-hour daily shifts instead of the current 12.

Adamu, who announced the directive at a conference of heads of police medical facilities on Thursday, said this is to curtail work-related stress.

He said this will in turn reduce the misuse of firearms and extra-judicial killings in the country.

The work structure for the Nigeria police force is currently a 12-hour shift.

“I have ordered that with immediate effect, the shift duty structure of the Nigeria police should be reverted to the traditional eight-hours, three-shift standard,” the police IG said at the conference holding in Abuja.

“For purpose of clarity, henceforth, no personnel should be made to perform any duty exceeding 8-hours within a space of 24 hours.”

He explained that the directive was to address an “age-long occupational stress” which long hours of duty engenders among personnel of the force.

Adamu said the only time the duty structure should exceed eight hours is during emergency.

According to him, policing is a highly demanding job physically, mentally and psychologically, required a good state of mind.