Contemporary policing in Nigeria is characterised by a chasm of distrust and insubordination between the police and the community they swore to protect, creating an antagonistic relationship between the police and community members. The pre-colonial history of Nigeria however reveals that this has not always been the trend. The ‘age grade security system’ of the ancient Igbo community, for example, effectively implemented the concept of community policing, though not recognised strictly as such.
Community policing represents a paradigm shift from the traditional model of policing to a system that encourages the integration of the public into police institutions, not only as police personnel but also as collaborators in the security affairs of the nation. More so, as an ‘alternative security approach’, it is wholly oriented to solve community problems. Problems which aren’t necessarily termed as crimes and solutions which aren’t often restricted to arrests.
Unfortunately, the police-community relation is anything but mutual and this communication gap exists due solely to lack of trust between these parties. The purported concept of ‘anonymity’ of anyone reporting crime to the police is illusive, as one’s identity will often be given away to crime perpetrators or their cohorts who will thereafter unleash terror on the ‘reporter’.
Training and education are crucial if the implementation of community policing initiatives is to be successful. Thus, fundamental changes in strategy, tactics and organisation to not only influence the way the police respond to crime, but also the way they search for crime solutions are necessary and must in fact be incorporated to all aspects of police recruit training.
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Source: MobilePunch - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
Source: MobilePunch - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »