Why We Can’t Fully Enforce Ban on ‘Knockouts’ – Police

The police says there is little they can do to effectively enforce the ban on the use of fireworks and ‘knockouts’ without public support.



The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Don Awunah, said this when the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) contacted him to get an update on enforcement of the ban, in Abuja on Friday.

NAN reports that the use of the explosives continues unabated nationwide, despite the prohibition, prompting insinuations that the police are not enforcing it.

But Awunah insisted that the ban was being enforced, adding that it seemed ineffective because citizens were not reporting violations to the police.

According to him, the effectiveness of policing generally depends on the willingness of members of the public to assist law enforcement agencies with information on activities of bad eggs in the society.

Awunah, who could not immediately give statistics of arrests so far made in connection with the ban, claimed that the use of fireworks and `knockouts’ had reduced nationwide.