An Investigation Into the Impact of Community Policing as a Strategy for Crime Prevention and Control
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The general goal of this study is to investigate the impact of community policing as a strategy for crime prevention and control.
The specific objectives of this study are to:
- Examine the effects of community policing by crime prevention and control
- Investigate how community policing helps in improving neighbourhoods security conditions.
- Investigate how community policing helps in building better relationship between the police and community residents.
- Examine ways in which community policing contributes in transforming police.
- Examine the best practices options for community policing.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The review of literature in this study is centered around the following themes
- Origins of community policing.
- The philosophy and components of community policing.
- The characteristics and values of community policing.
- Introduction of community policing in Nigeria, its mission and vision.
- The impact of community policing as a strategy for crime prevention and control.
- Theoretical Frame work.
OVERVIEW OF THE ORIGINS OF COMMUNITY POLICING
Community policing originated from the old idea of Sir Robert Peel, a British statesman who inaugurated the world’s first police force that comprises the urban neighborhood foot patrol officers that knew almost everybody in the communities they patrolled and were the representatives of these communities. In 1829, Sir Robert Peel established London metropolitan police, of which is set forth a number of principles, one of which foreshadowed community policing: “The police and the public are the police” Peel also recognize that the police were only successful at their jobs when they elicited public approval and assistance in their actions without resorting to force or the severity of law. This belief hold true today. No police department can control crime and disorder successfully without the consent and voluntary compliance of the public. Accordingly, the first true method “community” policing is founded in the Frankpledge system of early England, which fostered communal responsibility for protection and grouping of neighbours into tithing (Pupura, 2001).
Community policing also evolved from the United States of America Civil rights movement in the 1960s, which exposed the weakness of traditional policing model. Individual element of community policing such as improvement in police-community relations, emerged slowly from the political and social upheavals surrounding the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Widespread riots and protests against racial injustice brought government attention to source of racial discrimination and the tension, including the police. As visible symbols of political authority, the police were exposed to a great deal of public criticism. All the attention surrounding the police and increased availability of government fund for police research spawned a great deal for academic interest. Researchers began to examine the role of the police and the effectiveness of traditional police strategies much more closely (WWW.Law.Jrank.Org).
Furthermore, community policing also evolved from a variety of programs, strategies, research studies and theories. During the mid twentieth century, police community relations program spearheaded the movement to bring police and communities closer together to reduce hostility and to improve communication; a broader philosophy permeating the entire police department and community. The ground breaking Kansas city preventive patrol experiment played a major role in stimulating the questioning of traditional patrol practices, while piquing interest in developing alternative methods of policing,
The challenges to the traditional policing model and the assumption that the police could reduce crime on their own helped generate interest in policing alternatives. However, in the late 1970s both researchers and police practitioners began to focus more intently on the specific elements associated with community oriented policing. The major catalyst for this change was the re-implementation of foot patrol in the United States cities. In 1978, Flint, Michigan, become the first city in a generation to create a city-wide programmed that took officers out of their patrol cars and assigned them to walking beat (Bohm and Haley, 1997).
The work of Herman Goldstein, (problem-oriented policing), made him to be among the top leaders providing a theoretical foundation for community policing. He wrote that police were more concerned with quick response time and treating symptoms of problem rather than focusing on the problem themselves. He differentiated community policing from problem-oriented policing by stating that community policing emphasizes police engaging to community. To this, he added that the job of social control essentially depends on networks other than the police, and that police can only facilitate those networks other networks and support them. According to Goldstein, problem-oriented policing reconceptualizes what the police do, focuses their attention on the problems confronting them, encourages a more analytical approach to those problems, and requires police to think through various strategies, one of which is to work and partnering with the community on the particular problem (Pupura, 2001).
CHAPTER THREE
METHOD OF RESEARCH
This section is concerned with the application of the selected method and tools use in the collection and analyzing of the information use in this research.
AREA OF STUDY
The study was done in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government Area in Ogun State. This local government area was created in 1991 from former Ifo Ota. It has sixteen wards Ota 1, Ota 2, Ota 3, Sango ota, Ijoko Ota, Ilogbo, Iju Ota, Atan Ota, Agbara 1, Agbara 2, Igbesa, ketu, Alapoti, Ado-Odo 1, Ado-Odo 2, and Ere. The local government has police divisional headquarters namely; songo/Ota, Onipan, Itele, Ado/odo and Agbara.
The people of Ado/Odo Ota Olca government covers a total area of 885.08 square Kilometers and the land is covered with extensive soil suitable for agriculture, rain forest, rivers, rocks and mineral deposits.
Some aspects of the people in the local government include traditional arts, carving, sculpture and smiting amongst others. The religious practices in the local government area include Christianity Islam and Traditional religion. The presence of water and electricity incentives and the vocational advantage of local government make it a favored location for several kinds of industrial establishments. The local government has forty five percent (45%) of the total industries Ogun state. Is also its closeness to Lagos and Abeokuta commercial centres has provided accessibility to sources of finance and market for manufactured products.
DATA TYPES AND SOURCES
The two type data used in this study, include the primary and secondary data.
- The primary data which is basically questionnaire designed by the researcher to address the research problems. This questionnaire where close ended.
- The secondary where data that have already been collected for purposes other than the problem at hand. The source of this secondary data include available records of published materials like journals, articles, newspapers and books.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
In the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette Abuja-2nd February, 2009 vol.96, the 2006 population census, stated that the Ogun State population is three million seven hundred and fifty one thousand one hundred and forty (3,751,140) people and that of Ado/Odo Ota L.G.A is five hundred and twenty thousand two hundred and forty two (527,242). This is made up of all categories of persons, ages, occupations, marital status and educational attainment.
For the purpose of this study, the population of study will comprise two identified groups (the residents and the police). The police group will include the lower and higher ranks (both male and female police officials). While the resident group will include male and female from 18years and above.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
In this section of the study, data obtained from both residents and police residents is presented and analyze by using table, the simple frequency distribution and percentages (%).
The analysis of data here is based on the one hundred and thirty eight (138) questionnaire retrieved from the residents respondents and also on the one hundred and forty two (142) questionnaire retrieved from the police respondents; making a total of two hundred and eighty (280) questionnaire that were retrieved from both the residents and police respondents in the study area; out of the three hundred and twenty (320) questionnaire distributed.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
This study was conducted in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government Area of Ogun state. The main aim was to investigate the impact of community policing as a strategy for crime prevention and control. It is designed as an effective aid to the development and understanding of major issues bordering on the phenomenon of community policing as it applies to crime prevention and control situations in Ado/Odo Ota L.G.A. Simply put, this study is predicated on the desire to find out the impact community policing has in solving crime problems in Ado/ Odo Ota L.G. A and also the policy recommendations that can be adopted for genuine implementation of community policing.
The study which-was conducted in the sixteen (16) wards of the study area of which three hundred and twenty (320) police and public respondents from age eighteen (18) and above constitute the sample population. To elicit the needed data for this investigative study, three hundred and twenty (320) questionnaires were distributed, of which the researcher was able to retrieve two hundred and eighty (280). Simple frequency distribution and percentages was used to analyze the data collected from the respondents. From the findings of this research, it was discovered that the traditional policing model is still very much in practice in the study area. A very large percentage of the resident respondents reported that they do not know what community policing is all about and that policing in Ado/ Odo Ota is as usual. Also, it was discovered that a large percentage of police respondents reported that community policing was only launched but the concept is not in actual practice. They claimed that they are faced with the challenges of proper training, welfare packages and logistics among other benefits and that if the concept of community policing is properly implemented in the area, it will produced a positive security impact. Community policing is a policy and strategy aimed at achieving more effective and efficient crime control, reduce fear of crime, improved quality of life, improve police services and police legitimacy, through a proactive reliance on community resources that seeks to change crime causing conditions. This assumes a need for greater accountability of police, greater public share in decision-making, and greater concern for civil rights.
In other words, it is a philosophy and strategy that focuses on crime and social disorder, through the delivery of police services, crime prevention, problem solving, community engagement, and partnerships. The community policing philosophy balances fast responses to calls for service, with proactive problem-solving centered on the causes of crime and disorder. It requires police and citizens to join as partners in the course of both identifying and effectively addressing these issues.
It is a pragmatic approach to police reforms. This concept of policing has clearly set the stage of departure from traditional policing that was reactive and incident based, to a problem solving oriented policing that is proactive, with the community as the cornerstone of policing objectives. This paradigm shift seeks to focus on constructive engagement with people who are the end users of the police services and renegotiate that contract between the people and the police thereby making the community co-producers of justices and a quality police service. It involves community consultation, cooperation and interdependency between the police and the public.
The concept of community policing sees the role of the police as striving for an absence of crime and disorder. It is extremely significant in biffing-up security and it addresses crime without being overwhelmed by the effort.
The crime problem would be reduced to manageable level and officers become responsible for smaller geographic areas and projects. Thereby narrowing the approach, trouble spots would be identified and problem-solving progress measured. Officers would work with, rather than against the public.
For various reasons, especially ineffectiveness, brutality and corruption, the Nigerian public intensely distrusted the Nigeria police, and most times citizens appear to prefer handling the issue of their security themselves; they sometimes go as far as taking the laws into their own hands. The current initiative of community policing in Nigeria can be viewed as an attempt by the police to regain the public confidence, mend fences and make the Nigeria public a partner in crime prevention and control.
This study shows that community policing would have a positive impact in the control and prevention of crime, if properly implemented.
RECOMMENDATION
For community policing to create a positive impact as a strategy for crime prevention and control in Ado / Odo Ota Local Government Area, it requires the concerted effort of the police, the community, policy makers and the government. As far as the traditional policing model is still in practice, it is the researcher’s opinion that the following recommendations would to some extent salvage the situation.
- Training: There should be a proper training of police officials on community policing, so as to achieve the delivery of police services to public, to meet up with the universal norms and practices in policing.
- Communication: There should be an increase in coordination of essential channel of communication between the police and the public. Partnership must involve two-way dialogue and good quality information and feedback; the police must have value for community input. And should always never relent in having regular contact with community residents.
- Organization commitment: The police need to be totally committed and never relent in ensuring the success of the strategy. It is high time that the entire police force accept the aspects of ‘community engagement philosophy’. The Nigeria police should entirely put into practice the implementation of community. Community policing should not only be launched, but the implementation should be visible.
- Unity: Police personnel should always be ready to be approachable by citizens who will be more likely to cooperate with them. Both citizens and police personnel’s should always work in one accord to solve crime problem and build strong communities. The police should see themselves as the public and the public should also see themselves too as the police. But the police officials are those who are paid to give full-time attention to the duties of security.
- Funding of the police: The government should always make available resources to equip the police, to enable them carry out their functions successfully without any hinge. There should be improvement in salaries and welfare packages to motivate police officers and thereby promoting better service delivery and discipline.
- Education and enlightenment of the public: The police should devote their time to educate and enlighten the public about the concept of community policing. This is because the public can not cooperate with the police if they do not have knowledge of what community policing is all about. Public cooperation is what determines the effectiveness of the police.
- Mainstreaming: The police should share policing responsibilities with the community residents. Residents should participate in planning and choosing approaches and feel equal ownership of the process. In other words, citizens should share responsibility for their community safety, so as to achieve good quality of life. Community engagement has to be part of core work , not confined to specialist teams. Everybody in the communities should be given the chance to contribute immensely in policing activities required from them, so that communities will be a better place for every individual (both uniform and civilian).
- Confidence and confidentiality: The police should deliver their policing services to the satisfaction of citizens, so as to build up confidence. The police should not underestimate the effect of the poor police-relations. Their services should always meet up with public expectation. Also, the police should ensure that crime fighting information from the public is handled with utmost confidentiality, so as to encourage the public to give crime information without fear when necessary. The police should work more to build trust and integrity. This is because intelligence is the lifeblood of the police.
CONCLUSION
In this study, an attempt has been made to examine community policing, its origins, its philosophy and components, its introduction to Nigeria, the mission and the vision and its impact as a strategy for crime prevention and control.
This work has been able to establish some interesting facts about the lack of proper implementation of community policing in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government Area. It was observed that community policing was only launch but it is not really in practice.
From my findings the responses of most police officials is a pointer that they are yet to understand that community partnership, foot patrol of beat areas, house visitation and organization of regular security meetings are key recipy to community policing.
The core values of community policing which include respect for human, transparency, accountability and commitment are still not know to most police officials in Ado/Odo Ota Also, most of the officers do not know that residents security concerns are suppose to be given highest priority. The police officials are isolated by most residents.
On the other hand, most residents are not aware of the implementation of community policing, the crime rate is on the high side and the police public relations is poor.
In a situation where the police launched a new policing concept (community policing) and did not gear up effort to keep it alive. Residents are not aware of the existence of this new policing concept, it is a clear indicator that the traditional policing method is still very much in practice in Ado/Odo Ota L.G.A.
Citizens cannot participate on what they are not aware of, and the police officials cannot practice or apply a philosophy they have no knowledge about.
The choice of conflict theory was considered in this study to explain the prevailing injustice and inequalities of the police.
At the heart of any society and its institutions is the police, which is there to ensure law and order, keep general peace and stability in the society. This can properly be achieved through a policing concept that is founded on the principle that in a democratic society, the police are entrusted by their fellow citizens to protect and serve the public with equality and justice.
There is need to prevent and control crime at the roots of its occurrence. And we need to guarantee that all citizens have access to acceptable standard of quality life. It is essential that such an approach should be formalized and that it should not be dependent on specific police or city leaders, but should become an acknowledged strategy of standard service delivery. The traditional model of policing has been practiced for too long and it is out-dated. We cannot afford to ignore the promise that community policing offers. This concept has the hope of not only for better policing but also for better quality society.
Police in Nigeria and citizenry should always see their role as complimentary in policing the society. When these two groups understand that their roles are complimentary in policing the society, then the closer we get to a society in which crime would be almost absent. This is the spirit, the arrangement and the push, which can guarantee the corporate existence of the nation. Communities will enjoy ‘police service’ rather than ‘police force’ and the most significant benchmarks of performance are public satisfaction, trust and confidence. In other words, community policing is a model that is anchored on a symbiotic relationship between the police and the citizenry. Police roles and functions are not simply law enforcement but also include tackling a huge range of community problems. Undoubtedly, policing in the 21st century and beyond will be characterized by reforms and best practices. This concept is a veritable vehicle for police reforms.
This paradigm shift seeks to focus on constructive engagement with people who are the end users of the police service and renegotiate the contract between the people and the police thereby making the community co-producers of justice in Nigerian police.
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