Inspector General of Police, first clean the inside then the outside Dress

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Sir, as you may know most psychologists are more interested about the inner side of humans including security and law enforcement agents followed by interest in the external being as in one's particular dress or style of dressing.

Sir, a new dress doesn't get us anywhere at this time as it is the official life, and the life that an officer portrays in the public that matters more. The real beauty on the outside of an officer is a reflection of an officer's inside in terms of attractive attitude, positive   characteristics, character fitness, performance conduct, fitness-for-duty, insight and judgment.

Sir, even with the best form of dressing, external presentation or image in a new recruit or a long term serving officer   undesirable personality characteristics or other psychological challenges do not vanish simply because of a new wear, instead these disturbances get deeper and become more steadier.

New dressing will not reduce an officer's psychological vulnerabilities during service; a new physical image will not reduce or help discover abnormal or pathological traits, instead will only successfully and quietly cover disturbed identities and characters.

A new dress will not improve intelligence, self-control, emotional stability, and honest dealings; a new wear will not improve moral uprightness, integrity, reputation, cooperativeness and even physical or medical fitness.

Sir, giving that one of the main support to psychological healthiness is in the manner and style of one's dress or image, as physical image usually persists through one's inner life, let's find a way to work on the psychological qualities-of-an-officer   which usually means passing a series or battery of psychological/personality   tests. Thereafter, any new law enforcement dress or image as well as a change in uniform could be welcomed more by the public.

Sir, even if the best form of dressing is introduced a non-improvement in an officer's living, residential, financial   and general working conditions will further worsen his or her mental and emotional state thereby making the new wear or cover-up virtually   a financial throwaway. The Nigerian public and the world are on the side of new changes in the police and what they actually met is for the President and the Inspector General of Police, is to set a new course of new changes in the police atmosphere, beginning with the cleaning of the inside of the Police personnel which could make the outside become more cleaner.

John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D., is a Forensic/Clinical Psychologist and the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Psychological Association (NPA), Abuja.