The Sun News Online | Woman of the Sun

You run into Lauretta Atinuke Koyi, the Commissioner of International Police (Interpol) at the recent Rare Gems award. Her smiles and warm disposition make you take an interest in this charming personality. During the chat you learn so much about the amiable woman and how she joined the police force in September 1973.

Her height of 6feet 3inches, straight spotless legs, smooth long hands, natural nails, were the exact features that the police force needed in their officers then.
Happily, Koyi recalled how she appeared at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, to declare her interest in the force. She turned out to be a round peg in a round hole. "Some officers I met said this one is London police. I was taken immediately while waiting for my school certificate result," the woman says.

Armed with a law degree today, added to her status as a CP, she tells you, "life as a police woman has been good.
Interestingly, Koyi is one of the beneficiaries of the usual career talk at the end of secondary school session by companies, individuals and the armed forces. In her final year, a police chief came to their school and gave a career talk. He talked about the benefits in joining the force, which included job security and regular promotion, if you are respectful and hardworking.

The pep talk swept her off her feet and she became interested in the force.
Just before this encounter, she never saw herself being a teacher, nurse or a secretary as was the case in their days. Instead the young Atinuke wanted to be an air hostess and she tried her hands on British Oversea Airways Corporation (BOAC), which later became the British Caledonia. But it did not work out. Eventually, she landed in the police force.

You want Koyi to compare their early years with what is on ground now, especially the fact that the force does not enjoy much goodwill from the public. She replies:
"Why are you pointing fingers at the force for corruption in the country? In fact the police is not as corrupt as the other agencies. You know that the whole society is corrupt and the new officers joining the force are products of the society. Illegalities are not allowed in the force. The ones that were caught were always dismissed to serve as deterrent to other officers. Corruption has affected every facet of the society; you will be shocked to hear what happens in other agencies. If the health ministry was not blown open, would we have known what was going on behind the scene? And a whole lot of others that are covered up".

What actually are the primary functions of an Interpol commissioner? "Interpol is the world’s largest international police organization with 186 member countries. It facilitates cross-border police co-operation, supports and assists all organizations. With its headquarters in Lyon, France, it operates 7 regional offices in Argentina, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Kenya, Thailand and Zimbabwe."
The basic responsibility as Interpol is to track down criminals who have committed crimes in their countries and run to another country for safety.

You want to know some of the challenges she has faced? Is she not afraid of assassins and armed robbers? She then takes you down memory lane, telling you that life itself is a risk." God has never created me to be afraid and He has been with me since the first day I joined the police".

She then shared an experience that would have led to her first query since her 35years in service. "We once arrested a criminal that stole from Jankara market when I was in Panti CID. He confessed and we took him to the market to arrest others. He was not in handcuffs, if not his co-robbers will disappear. As we made our way into the market, the criminal took to his heels. It took the intervention of market people to get him re-arrested and the search for the other criminals came to an end. When a suspect escapes, it does not go down well with the officer involved."

Married to Mr. Koyi who retired as a senior manager from Nitel, the duo met at the Rowe Park where both played basketball. She initially proved difficult because that was the order of the day then.
With her intimidating haeight and shape, young Koyi walked with her shoulders high. Some male admirers were not confident enough to come near her because of her carriage then and so they swallowed their hard pill of admiration. But her husband’s gentility and patience made things easy for him.

Since then, the elegant woman has been a total woman to her husband and children. It was just once that she was transferred to Abeokuta. All the other years in the profession, Koyi has been in Lagos with her family. That explains why she was able to excel as a police officer, a wife and a mother.
She therefore advises intending police officers to be interested in the job first. "Then when you finally move up, do not associate with the bad ones, be hardworking and you will see the good side of the job."