THE ROLE OF POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS IN COMBATING CRIME (A CASE STUDY OF NASARAWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KANO STATE)

THE ROLE OF POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS IN COMBATING CRIME (A CASE STUDY OF NASARAWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KANO STATE)

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research was to examine the role of police-community relations in combating crime in Nasarawa Local Government, Kano State. However other specific objectives are to examine the role of police-community relations in combating crime; to assess the relationship between the police and community in combating crime; to examine the challenges of police-community relations in combating crime; and to provide suggestions on how to improve the police-community relations in combating crime. The study employed the survey research design and the stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting respondents. The qualitative and quantitative methods were used in collecting data from respondents. Questionnaires were distributed to 120 respondents while 16 interviewees were captured in the in depth interview. Findings revealed that patrol, surveillance and guards were the role of police-community relations in combating crime. More so, findings revealed that there exists a mutual relationship between the community and the police. Furthermore, it was revealed that corruption, negative attitude of the police towards the people and inhuman treatment towards the people are the challenges of police-community relations. Additionally, these challenges however have led to other social problems such as loss of lives and property, lack of mutual understanding between the police and community, loss of confidence in the police force, loss of the dignity of the Nigeria Police Force. Finally, findings provided strategies in which police- community relations can be improved. These strategies include recruitment of qualified personnel, establishment of institutions that will sanction corrupt practices among police officers, public enlightenment, and maximum cooperation between the police and the public in combating crime.

CHAPTER ONE

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

1.0       Introduction

The community relies upon the police to “protect and serve”, and the police in return rely upon the community’s support and cooperation in order to be effective. When there is good police–community relations, police have a better understanding of the public’s concerns (especially those that are crime related),and citizens are more inclined to report crimes that occur to the police, provide tips/intelligence to law enforcement, willingly serve as witnesses, and are happy to participate in jury trials. By extension preventing crimes before they occur or minimize their impact, instead of simply react to calls for service. Good police–community relations prevent the possibility that the public thinks that police are simply a mechanism for intelligence collection.

            Police-community relations refer to the ongoing and changing relationship between the police and the communities they serve. This includes issues of cooperation, race relations, and fear of police, violence, and corruption. In other words, no matter how well equipped the police department may be, its efficiency and effectiveness will largely remain a potential if it fails to establish a good relationship with its host community (Ross, 1995).Peel (1829) undertook the reorganization of the London police with the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829, he and the two key commissioners that he appointed, Charles and Richard emphasized that the police should work in cooperation with the people to protect the rights, serve the needs, and earn the trust of the members of the community (Critchley, 1967; Reith, 1952). Writing at the turn of the century, Lee (1971) discussed Peel’s principles of law enforcement. According to Lee, police officers are “public servants in the fullest sense of the term” (Ross, 1995).

The concept of police-community relations has gained a secure level of acceptance in the law enforcement establishment and in urban government. Acceptance, in a working sense, means that proposals to establish and maintain such programs have a fair chance of success (Cox, 1996).The concept of Police-Community Relationships (PCRs) is very important to understanding of the role of the police in society and the ways in which communities can render assistance to the police in discharging these roles as effectively as possible. For example, in order for the police to carry out their crime control, peace/order maintenance, traffic control and emergency management functions effectively, it must work with residents of their host communities and see themselves as partners in the same community. If the community residents have cause to suspect the police or consider them as an army of occupation they will withdraw their cooperation and unrest will reign in such a community. Therefore, “Police-community relationship must be two-way partnerships” because “in a democratic society, the legitimacy of the police depends on broad and active public acceptance and support” (Dempsey and Forst 2008: 288). In other words, no matter how well equipped the police department may be its efficiency and effectiveness will largely remain a potential if it fails to establish a good relationship with its host community. Unfortunately, the need for the police and the community that are in partnership to understand themselves is often overlooked, thus, leaving room for assumptions by both parties in the relationship. For instance, while the community assumes that the police are members of the community that ought to understand it (i.e. the community), the police also appear to operate under the assumption that the community ought to appreciate and support it’s (i.e. the police) primary responsibility of ensuring peace and order in the community. But, what does police community relations actually mean? The quality of the police community relations that exist in a society is a product of the degree of effectiveness of the police human relations and the police public relations that obtains in that society (Dempsey &Forst, 2008: 288).

Thus, however, it’s commonly agreed that the existence of partnership between the police and public achieved a great successes with regard to the policy of combating incidence of crime. The collaboration is aid in combating crime in every society across the world and the sub population under study, because the public are aware of every incidences of crime as such there is the need to help the police in order to carry out their respective role of combating crime in Nasarawa Local Government, Kano State. The police community relations should be adopted in order to make the police more effective at controlling and preventing crime, community policing should be emphasized for effective crime control and protection of lives and property, and also members of general public are expected to partner with the police towards minimizing the rate of crime in the society. The weaknesses of the police community relations in many parts of the country are today perhaps the greatest obstacle to effective policing. The relationship between the police and the public determines to a significant degree how effective policing will be in the protection of social order.

1.1       Statement of the Problem 

The first factor that diminishes police community relations is the issue of corruption. Police routinely extort money from victims of crimes to initiate investigations and demand bribes from suspects to drop investigations. Corruption in the police is so endemic that it has eroded public trust and confidence they have in the police. To achieve any success in combating corruption in the Nigerian police one has to take a holistic approach and most importantly understanding the growth and existence of corruption within the police (Alamika, 1999).

 Police–community relations is a process where the entire police department (not a specialized unit) is engaged with the communities they serve in order to make it a safe and better place to live (Radalet and Carter, 1994).It is commonly accepted that the poor areas of our cities produce a disproportionately large number of people who are arrested for criminal activities and that people living in these ghettos are exposed to a far greater risk of being criminally victimized than are other citizens. It is no secret that people living in these areas distrust the police and often are reluctant to help police officers in their efforts to control crime. Also the present relationship between the police and the community members is largely without mutual benefit. In Nigeria there is no good relationship between the police and the host community in order to aid the police in discharging their duties (Ross, 1995).

The research is aimed at finding out the cordial relationship between the police and the community members in their respective role in combating crime in Nasarawa Local Government. Because for long, there have been problems concerning the issues of preventing crime as the public failed to collaborate with the police to tackle the menace of crime occurring in Nasarawa Local Government. In view of the above, the study is set to examine the relationship between the police and the members of the community in combating crime in the study area.

1.2       Aims and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this research is to examine the role of police-community relations in combating crime in Nasarawa Local Government, Kano State. The specific objectives are as follows:

1. To examine the role of police-community relations in combating crime.
2. To assess the relationship between the police and community in combating crime.
3. To examine the challenges of police-community relations in combating crime.
4. To provide suggestions on how to improve the police-community relations in combating crime.

1.3       Research Questions

1.    What is the role of police-community relations in combating crime?

2.    What is the relationship between the police and the community in combating crime?

3.    What are the challenges of police-community relations in combating crime?

4.    What measures could be used to enhance police-community relations in combating crime?

TOPIC: THE ROLE OF POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS IN COMBATING CRIME (A CASE STUDY OF NASARAWA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KANO STATE)

Chapters: 1 - 5
Delivery: Email

Number of Pages: 75

Price: 3000 NGN

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