Effect of Community Policing on Crime Prevention in Nigeria

Effect of Community Policing on Crime Prevention in Nigeria

Chapter One

Objectives of the Study

The general objective of this study is to determine people’s perception of the effectiveness of community policing as a crime reduction strategy in Enugu North Local Government Area. The specific objectives are as follows:

To ascertain the nature/extent of criminal activities in Enugu North Local Government
To find out the effectiveness of community policing in Enugu North Local Government
To ascertain the contributions of the residents of Enugu North towards the community policing strategy of the
To find out the problems faced by the police in the operation of community policing strategy in Enugu North Local Government
To determine the nature of the relationship between the police and residents of Enugu North Local
To find out how the residents in the Local Government perceive the community
To suggest other intervention strategies that may enhance community policing in Enugu North Local Government

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

For clarity and ease in the review of relevant literature for this study, this chapter will review some empirical literature, theoretical literature, relevant theories, theoretical orientation and research hypotheses.

Review of Empirical Literatures

Swanson, Territo and Taylor (1998) on the need for community policing noted that there is very little empirical evidence to suggest that community policing actually works. That is why in September 1994 the U.S congress passed the crime bill that provided a total of $8.9 billion for the allocation of 100,000 new local police officers over a five-year period (1995-2000) to increase and support community policing efforts. In Nigeria, the introduction of the strategy started in 2004.

Schmalleger (1995) conducted a survey on community policing in Reno, Nevada a city of 120,000 residents with 313 police officers following 1987 survey of public opinion which revealed that police department suffered from serious image problem. According to him, community policing efforts began under Chief R.V. Bradshaw, following the defeat of the two public referendums to increase funding levels for the department. Following these and other well-publicized efforts to improve the department’s image, community surveys reported a considerable degree of success. While the initial 1987 survey found only 31.6% of residents feeling good about the police department, a similar 1992 survey revealed 68.7% of the populace reporting such feelings. Similarly, the 33% of respondents reported that officers “did not convey a feeling of concern” but 67% of the officers feel concerned about the development. Eventually, renewed citizen satisfaction with the Reno police department resulted in the success of a local tax referendum that provided the additional officers- a 39% increase in sworn personnel.

A survey conducted in August 2004 in Lagos metropolis by Alemika and Chukwuma (2005) noted that because of high incidence and fear of crime in Nigeria, many communities and individuals took several measures to reduce their feeling of vulnerability and minimize risk of victimization. One of the measures created was Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC). The provision for the establishment of PCRC in police divisions was aimed at developing public–police partnership (community policing) in the fight against crime in the society. The study shows that a third (34%) of the respondents stated that PCRC existed in their area, while 66% reported that they are aware of the role of Police Community Relations Community (Alemika and Chukwuma, 2005:4).

Another survey conducted by Alemika and Chukwuma (2007) on Criminal victimization, safety and policing in Nigeria revealed that 48% (i.e, less than half) of Nigerians agreed that the police are doing everything they can to help people and to be of good service to the people. Nearly 3/10 (i.e, 29.9%) of the respondents disagreed that the police are not doing anything to render good services to the people and slightly more than one-fifth (22.1%) maintained a neutral position. Alemika and Chukwuma are of the opinion that people respect, work and have confidence in the police in the societies where the police serve and work with people in circumstances other than booking them for the breach of law. There tend to be high level of public hostility towards the police and public where encounter occur predominantly in the course of law enforcement. Overall public did not perceive the police as very helpful while overwhelming majority of respondents in some states like Jigawa, Zamfara, Taraba, Benue, Bauchi and Adamawa states said that the police strive to be very helpful and of good service to the public (Alemika and Chukwuma,2007:71-3).

Relating to the efficacy of community-oriented policing (community policing) as a reformist strategy, the empirical evidence from Kenya suggests that community policing may be put to repressive rather than benign use (Carthra, 2009). Anthropological enquires (relating to the study of humankind) further to a stand-off between Western-style community policing initiatives pursued under the help or support of a reforming public police, and indigenous community-based traditions of self-policing in rural Tanzania. Such field observations point to the need for a more critical engagement with the Western imports of models of community policing to the underdeveloped reality of Africa (Brogden, 2004 cited by Carthra, 2009).

Review of Theoretical Literature

It will be appropriate to look at crime control strategies in both traditional and modern Nigeria societies and why community policing is been favored among them. The theoretical literature is divided into two sub-headings for easy understanding and review.

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

Design of the Study

The study design appropriate for this study is a cross-sectional study. The reason for this research design is that it focuses on collection of data from a large population at the same point in time using a sample population (Babbie, 2007; Obasi, 1999). The researcher chose this research design method because the samples drawn to represent the various elements of the population generalize the population of the study.

Population of the Study

The population of Enugu state according to NPC (2006) is 3,257,298 of which 1,624,202 are males while 1,633,096 are for females. Out of the total population of Enugu state, 244,852 is the total population of Enugu North local Government Area the study area (NPC, 2006). Out of the number, 49% are males while 51% are females. The population to be studied are the adult residents who are 18 and above in the local government area that can read and write or at least respond to the study’s questionnaire. The essence of adopting this set of people for the study is because they are the people assumed to have come to the age of criminal responsibility in Nigeria and are also assumed to have observed and understood the community policing as a crime control strategy used in controlling crime, as well as the reason why the strategy has or has not succeeded in controlling crime in this Local Government Area.

CHAPTER FOUR:

DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS

This chapter presents how the data collected through questionnaire, hypotheses and indepth interview were structured, organized and analyzed in order to get the desired result on the people’s perception of community policing as effective strategy for crime reduction in Enugu North. Questionnaires were analysed with SPSS while chi-square was used to test the hypotheses.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary

Community policing is a collaborative effort between the police and the members of the public to identify the problems of crime and disorder and to develop solutions from within the community in crime reduction. The study, ‘People’s perception of Community Policing as an effective strategy for crime reduction in Enugu North Local Government Area,’ is a study that looked at the way(s) people/residents of Enugu North see or feel about community policing as against the former crime fighting policing we used to have before the introduction of community policing on 27^th April 2004. The major concern of the researcher was to ascertain from the residents of the area if truly community policing is an effective strategy for crime control, and if truly community policing have succeeded in reducing crime rate in the area since inception.

The researcher adopted three hypotheses. Six hundred (600) respondents aged eighteen years and above were selected through simple random sampling without replacement formula from target population of 244,852 of the residents of Enugu North Local Government Area to respond to twenty five (25) questions and ten (10) respondents for in- depth interview were purposively selected. Frequency percentages tables were used to code data from the questionnaire of the study, indepth-interview was content analyzed to compliment quantitative data of the study, while Chi-Square (x2) was used to test the hypotheses.

Conclusion

Community policing is embedded in joint partnership of the Police and members of the society to identify crime and disorder and find solution within the society to resolve it. It is a way to democratize Police Force from military nature in order to protect, serve with intergrity, safe guard fundamental human rights and ensure equal justice to every citizen, and among the citizens and security agencies.

From what has been discussed so far, people appreciate community policing and would want it to stay if the Police will improve on their relationship with the members of the public.

Finally, both the Police and the people should strive to embrace respect, protection of human rights and always be willing to help each other whenever the need arises.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are made based on the findings from the study:

The Nigerian Police and other security agencies should put more effort to improve on their relationship with the members of the public in other to gain the confidence of the people for easy flow of information because without information by both parties, community policing will die
The state government should also help in the provision of sophisticated arms, patrol vans/ power bikes, rain coat, and all other crime fighting arms to both the Police and other securityagencies to help them contribute effectively for a better crime free
Both the government and the public should see the need to adequate reward and motivate working/serving security officers (police/members of the neighbourhood watch) who carry out their assignment diligently, so that others will see the need for hard work and then put in their very
Security agencies should not betray the trust of the people by leaking information given to them by the people to the For the security agencies to do well, they must have access to information that comes from the people who know the criminals and their likely time of operation.
Other security agencies outside the police should hand over any suspected criminal to the police for proper and thorough investigation and subsequent prosecution in the court of law, so that the law can have its
Qualified personnel (that is the people with passion and desire for the work of security) should be employed for the
Both the Police and the public should strive to imbibe respect for human rights,have equal justice before the law and see themselves as one indivisible entity in the fight for criminality.

References:

Agnew, R.(1985) ‘Social Control Theory and Delinquency, A Longitudinal Test’ Criminology 23 pg 47-61.
Alemika, E, and Chukwuma, I. (2000). Police-Community Violence in Nigeria. Lagos: Center for Law Enforcement Education and National Human Rights Commission.
Alemika, E, and Chukwuma, I, (2004). Crime and Policing in Nigeria: Challenges and options.Lagos: CLEEN Foundation.
Alemike, E. and Chukwuma, I. (2005). Criminal Victimization and Fear of Crime in Lagos. Lagos: CLEEN Foundation.
Alemika, E. and Chukwuma I. (2007). Criminal victimization, safety and policy in Nigeria: 2006: Lagos: CLEEN foundation.
American Civil Liberties Union (1959). Illegal detention by police. In N. Johnson, N. Savitz and M., Wolfgang. (Ed) The sociology of punishment and correction (12-17). New York: John Wiley & Sons inc.
Anucha, C. (2007, March 15). Community policing gets boost: COPS give Special training. Daily Sun, p. 17
Babbie, E. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadstom.
Becker, H. (1999). The process of social typing: Outsiders. In E. Rubington & M. Weinberg (Ed) Deviance :The interactionist perspectives (7-10) (7^th ed.) Needham heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon: A Viacom company.

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