Lagos: Police defend RRS patrol automobile’s one-way visitors motion

The Lagos state Police Command has defended the choice of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) patrol workforce to drive in opposition to the conventional course of visitors, saying the motion was taken in response to misery calls from motorists trapped in a visitors gridlock.

The command mentioned Thursday that the patrol automobile, recognized as ‘RRS Attack 07’, was responding to an emergency task after people caught within the congestion referred to as for police intervention to clear the obstruction and restore the free move of visitors.

The rationalization adopted a trending video exhibiting the RRS patrol automobile shifting in opposition to the course of visitors, an incident that reportedly sparked public reactions and confrontation involving the officers.

In a press release, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Lagos state command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, mentioned the patrol workforce, led by an Inspector of Police, was dispatched by the command’s Control Room and was the closest obtainable police formation to the scene.

The command mentioned the officers needed to navigate by means of the other lane to succeed in the purpose the place the obstruction originated and handle the scenario.

It added that police automobiles may transfer in opposition to the conventional course of visitors below recognised emergency and operational circumstances, together with responding to misery calls, pursuing suspects and enterprise pressing safety operations.

The command cited Regulation 158 of the National Road Traffic Regulations, 2012, which allows regulation enforcement officers driving below emergency conditions or engaged in civil safety to ignore prescribed visitors indicators, offered they train due regard for the security of different highway customers.