Police screening: Candidates to undergo psychiatric, drug tests

The Nigeria Police Force yesterday disclosed that all shortlisted candidates in the on-going screening into the force will have to undergo psychiatric test.

It said it is to ascertain if all candidates are mentally stable so as to avoid indiscriminate shootings and unwarranted discharges of bullets that may snuff life out of Nigerians.

Also, candidates with any trace of drugs intake will be denied admission into the Force.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Training, Emmanuel Inyang, made this disclosure yesterday while monitoring the ongoing screening exercise at the Police College, Ikeja. The first phase of the exercise which entails document screening, according to Inyang, would last one week. Within this period, he said candidates’ certificates would be screened to ensure they have five credits, including in English language and Mathematics. Candidates, he said, must also meet the mandated height of 1.67metres for men and 1.65 metres for women and must not be deformed, neither should they have “K-legs, flat feet, Queen’s eyes or scattered dentation.”

He said candidates who passed this stage would proceed to the next phase of screening.

In the second lap, he said “candidates will write exams that will be conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB. They will get their results same day. “Thereafter, successful candidates will be subjected to further medical checks.

“We are employing three different sets of medical practitioners: the general medical practitioner, who will examine the physical aspect involving X- trays, to ensure they are sound and fit for the job. We will take the binocular vision, colour vision and general pathology.

“Thereafter, we are also going to consult psychiatric doctor who will carry out mental evaluation on candidates to check traces of mental instability. Candidates will also undergo drugs screening. If one is on drugs, definitely it will show. This is because we don’t want to experience unwarranted killings of Nigerians.

Commandant of the College, Commissioner of Police, CP Akinpelu Gbemisola, said the college would not compromise the laid down standard as directed by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, adding that she had also warned policemen involved in the screening not to allow themselves to be used against actualising the anticipated outcome.