Police, Justice Ministry Collaborate To Decongest Prisons In Anambra
Anambra State Police Command has expressed desire to partner Anambra State Ministry of Justice to ensure prompt trial of cases, granting of bails and speedy dispensation of Justice.
This is aimed at decongesting Correctional Centres in the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Sylvia Chika Ifemeje.
He disclosed that strategic plans are being put in place to ensure that issues of illegal detentions and long awaiting trials in custody are addressed such that only very serious cases of capital offences would warrant jail terms if decided by courts of competent jurisdictions.
CP Adeoye, who described the State Attorney-General as a seasoned administrator of criminal justice, pointing out that henceforth, suspects on awaiting trial will not be denied their fundamental human rights; that the collaboration seeks to achieve speedy dispensation of justice, obtaining legal advice for cases investigated, speedy arraignments and prosecutions, decongesting inmates on awaiting trial list as well as inmates awaiting arraignments.
The CP disclosed that police are no longer allowed to arraign suspects for capital offences at the Magistrate Court level, and maintained that capital offences are treated only at the High Court level.
He also informed that the Commissioner for Justice has proposed to have an understanding with the State Chief Judge in order to explore the possibility of having dedicated courts even during vacations to hear cases, decide on those that can be granted bail immediately, and then assign for trials those with adequate evidence for prosecution.
The Police Commissioner further explained that the implication is that even where trial is not ongoing immediately, bail can be granted because the courts handling the cases are those that have jurisdiction to try, noting that such feature is absent at the Magistrate Court level.
He therefore expressed optimism that the collaboration will achieve speedy arraignments so that people can enjoy their fundamental human rights, adding that even suspects accused of grievous crimes are presumed innocent until convicted as the Police will not want innocent citizens to undergo rigors of imprisonments before trials.
Responding, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Sylvia Chika Ifemeje, said the collaboration is about how to move Anambra State to the next level in terms of security and social harmony.
Ifemeje also disclosed that they arrived at strategy on how to decongest prisons across the State beginning with the State Criminal Investigation Department (State CID) prison cells in Amawbia, Awka-South LGA.
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