Effect Of Community Policing On Crime Prevention In Nigeria

Effect Of Community Policing On Crime Prevention In Nigeria

Chapter One

Preface

Background Of The Study

Neighbourhood watch is one of the traditional and best known crime forestallment generalities in North America. It was popularly known as the neighbourhood watch association in Pasadena Hills, under the direction ofSt. Louis Country Police Officer, Kyle Jundt, resident Geno Salvati and resident Ed Tyler. The International Code of Enforcement Ethics reveals the primary reason for establishing formal police system in any society therefore as a law enforcement officer, my abecedarian duty is to serve humanity and property; to guard lives and property; to cover the innocent against deception; the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence and complaint; and to admire indigenous rights of all the men to liberty, equity and justice( Qadri, 2005). Actually, the main part of the police is to apply law and order, safeguard lives and property, and render other essential services in the society. Put in a different way, fighting crimes and culprits is so delicate that the police and other law enforcement agencies alone can not perform this task and achieve maximum positive results. Since the most visible part of felonious conditioning take place at the neighbourhood position, policing agencies need public support and co-operation. ferocious cooperation and cooperative sweats of both the formal and informal agents of social control remain preconditions for a possible near ‘ crime-free ’ society( a complete crime free society is Cockaigne); in other words, the idea will lead to a great success in crime forestallment and control in the community.

Community policing is in hand with methodical relationship between the police and the entire people in the community. Police places and functions aren’t simply law enforcement but also include diving a huge range of community problems. The movement from traditional policing to community policing is a universal miracle and the Nigeria police can not be an exception to this. Indeed, community policing as a gospel and practice is a veritable vehicle for police reforms( Okiro, 2007). The Nigeria police in 2004, espoused community policing as a practical approach to police reforms. The stage was indeed set for a clear departure from traditional policing, that was reactive and incident grounded, to a problem working acquainted policing that’s visionary with the community as the important part of policing objects( Abdulrahaman, 2007).

Community policing is a paradigm shift that seeks to concentrate on formative engagement with people who are the end druggies of the police service and talk the agreement between the people and the police thus making the communityco-producers of justice and a quality police force. The most recent attempt made by the Nigeria police force to ameliorate its performance was the preface of community policing programme in 2004. This was part of the Nigerian Police force’s trouble to change policing to a new and professional policing able of icing and maintaining proper security of lives and property in Nigeria. Community acquainted policing is a visionary measure that promotes bridling felonious act.

Conclusively, the police involvement in community affairs is another strong strategy that allows the police to display themselves as both private citizens and State agents of social control. Community policing under this programme or strategy presents the police as retainers of the society who, should in a reasonable manner, apply law and order and insure public compliance with programs. Extant studies also attest that the involvement of police in community affairs has actually yielded fruitful results. For case, Quinney( 1974) affirmed that when the community collaborates with police labor force in maintaining social order, it helps the legal system also to be decreasingly used in felonious justice administration. The police are feasible instrument for erecting an inclusive and systematized community policing in Nigeria. Police involvement in community affairs facilitates rapid-fire and timely control of continuity rebellion, whether in outright political processes or geste that else, violates the rules of the society. Community policing also helps the State policing actors to exercise its cathartic force on the people in order to achieve compliance with the law( see also Kelly & Clark, 2003). This fashion can be employed only in a physically and socially disorganised community. In further disorganised areas, some experts refocused out, police use aggressive tactics to reduce crime and ‘ take back the thoroughfares ’ before erecting relations with community leaders( Siegel, 2008 citing Nolan, Conti & McDevitt, 2004).

Statement Of The Problem

In malignancy the sweats of colorful police administrations to check crime in Nigeria, crime and social complaint in Nigeria, it’s egregious that there’s still continuity of crime in the country. Thousands of lives and millions of naira worth of property are being lost as a result of one crime or the other. Some believed that the incapability of the Nigeria police to insure maximum security in the country is as a result of so numerous social and specialized challenges ranging from lack of necessary tools to check crime in the community and lack of maximum cooperation by the people in the communities( Dawn Newspaper, 2011).

Corruption in the Nigeria police force is fuelling abuses against ordinary citizens and oppressively undermining the rule of law in Nigeria on a diurnal base. multitudinous ordinary Nigerians have been accosted by innumerous fortified police officers who specialized at demanding backhanders and committing mortal rights abuses against by exacting plutocrat from them. These abuses range from ordinary arrest and unlawful detention to pitfalls and acts of violence, including sexual assault, torture, and indeed extrajudicial killings( Human Rights Watch, 2010).

Police isn’t unique. Corruption is now rampant in the Nigeria police force. colorful issues of corruption concerning the commission have been seen and reported. still, the issue of corruption in the Nigeria police as noted over can not be treated in insulation of the larger society. Corruption in the police is so current that it has destroyed people’s trust and confidence they’ve in the police. Because of this frequence of corruption in Nigeria and in the force, this study also aimed at probing the effect of community policing on crime in Nigeria.

Exploration Questions

These are some of the questions the study is designed to answer

i) what’s the frequence of community policing on crime reduction in Nigeria?

ii) what are the factors that affect community policing in Nigeria?

iii) what are the sweats taken by the government to insure better community policing in Nigeria?