Sociology and Criminology-Open Access
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Crime is Inevitable but Police is not friendly: Exploring the Public Perception of Police on Crime Prevention and Management in Lagos State, Nigeria

Okunola Oludare Victor^{* *}Correspondence: Okunola Oludare Victor, Department of Criminologyand Security Studies Faculty of Arts, Social and Management Sciences Dominion University, Ibadan, Nigeria, Tel: 08161253596, Email:

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Introduction

It is evident that the nature of police image held by members of the public is now a cause for concern globally. In Nigeria, historically, the Nigeria Police Force was created by the British colonial masters, and was the amalgamation of all colonial police machineries in the country, first in 1930 and later in 1968-1970 [1-3]. Importantly, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), in spite of the major role they are required to play in protecting the public and in the maintenance of law and order, are often viewed by the public as an institution laced with lack of integrity. This is because there are daily reports in the media of abuse by the police. The corrupt practices within the police department in Nigeria are so endemic that despite the numerous efforts made by the government in policy and regulatory control, corruption remains difficult to manage.

The resultant effect of this action has led to the loss of trust in the operations of the members of the police force by the general public. Members of the public who feel the need to be protected and their properties guarded resort to alternative forms of security arrangement for themselves in form of private vigilante system. A major disadvantage this has on the society is the fact that most of these indigenous private vigilantes are ill-trained in handling complex security issues, and sometimes employ crude method of enforcing order. This in turn has implication on intelligence gathering because the distrust people have about the police make them not to report cases to the police, and makes it impossible for police to have valid records and proper accountability.

In recent time, there has been major steps taken by the government to launder a good image for the Nigerian police force; some of these steps include the change of the colour of the uniform from a black colour to a blue one. Also, in Lagos state, and some other states in the country, the state government donated new vehicles for the use of the mobile police force; modern ammunition were procured and made available for the use of the police in their fight against crime and insurgencies. However, as good as all these sound, there has been no significant influence or effect it has on the nature of the perception and imagesthose members of the public has about the NPF. Against this background, this research exploreshow ineffective crime prevention and management by police has generated public distrust in Police force in Nigeria.

The study explores the factors responsible for the perception of the public about police on crime prevention and management. It also examines the level of trust members of the public have on the effectiveness of the police force, and assesses the government efforts towards police-public friendly relationship in Nigeria.

Overview of Police Force in Nigeria

Nigeria Police Force is the brainchild of the British colonial government and it dates back to 1861, following the annexation of Lagos [3,4] noted that the Nigeria police, from inception, was not put in place to protect the interest and as well as the wellbeing of the people. The Nigerian police was borne out of the desire by the British colonialists to protect themselves, their interest and their trade. The British consul charged with the administration of Lagos established a Consular Guard in Lagos by the Police Act of 1861 to maintain law and order. In 1861, the 30-member Consular Guard was renamed Hausa Guard. It was further regularized in 1879 by an ordinance creating a constabulary for the Colony of Lagos. Thus the Hausa Guard became known as Hausa Constabulary and its men mainly drawn from among the Hausa ethnic group. The constabulary was mainly military in character, though it performed some police duties (Tamuno, 1970).

Many historians and criminologists—for example, [5] Ahire (1991), Ikime (1977), [3] believed that the major workings of the colonial police were mainly in pursuance of the British colonial master’s interest in Nigeria. Alemika (1988) however pointed out that colonialism relied majorly on brute force and violence in its way of realising its ambition in the face of opposition from the natives. Alemika was of the opinion that the colonial objectives were (to varying degrees during the phases of colonialism in Nigeria) prosecuted through organized governmental violence, vandalism and plunder on the part of the colonizers. Mann and Roberts (1991) asserted that colonialism changed Nigerian traditional laws - its rules, institutions, procedures and meanings .The police officers that were recruited to maintain law and order were mere colonial stooges without traditional values in areas where federalism was adopted. Scholars like [6] and Ikime, (1977) noted that the relationship between the central authority and the regions in Nigeria was something but cordial and this unfortunately established the criteria for future relationship between the police and the communities they serve.

Factors Responsible Public Perception about Police on Crime Prevention and Management

[7] Observes that the central and sub objectives of policing, the importance of policing to society and citizens’ perception of the government cannot be overemphasised. Odekunle opined that the policeman’s honesty, integrity and observance of procedural laws in handling offenders and non-offenders have deep implications for the citizens’ perception of fairness and justice, and for the degree of respect the average citizen has for the law

Despite the display on police offices and vehicles the emblem ‘Police is your friend’, it is so obvious to an average Nigerian that this statement is really not true, in actual fact the Nigerian police protect and serve nobody unless you are very influential or have strong connection with the few political elites or powers that be in the society, a situation where an average citizen have no fundamental human rights in the eyes of the police [8] Alemika, 2013). [9] Posits that the joke being sarcastically said that ‘the police are not your friend’ actually reflect the harsh reality of what obtains in the present day Nigeria. In the words of [8] policing in Nigeria deviates from normative expectations and it is done with little or no regard for procedural fairness. Also, [10] maintains that public order and maintenance is achieved at great cost; mostly through intimidation, violence, lack of fair procedures, and through violating people’s right. All these seem to have implications on the way the people feel about the police force and influenced the distrust they have in the force. Researchers have argued that Nigerians have been encouraged not to trust the government, and by extension, the police as the visible representative of the state [8,9]. The resultant effect of this is a case where people get cynical about the morality of the law and the police enforcing it (Meagher, 2007).

The nature of policing is fundamentally antagonistic to those it affects. The enormous power of the police to deprive citizens of their rights and the discretionary nature of police action means that the police tend to be alienated from the community, except where such actions of the police are seen to be of direct benefit to a specific community [11] Yet most the Nigeria youth still build some negative interest on police perception toward crime control, most youth have perception of judging a police from their schooling time, especially secondary school and only what usually change youth view base on their goal is failure future expectation. Some empirical research emphasizes the importance of neighbourhood context in shaping young people’s attitudes towards police. In a Nigeria study of young males who were either accused or adjudicated as delinquents, it was reported that socio-cultural context is more significant in developing attitudes towards police than the nature of police-youth contact(s) [12].

The study conducted by Aniche (2011) showed that there is a strong suspicion and dislike for the police on the part of young people. When asked about their level of respect for the police, respondents were very negative. 51% of respondents reported that they have little respect for the police, while another 16% expressed mixed feelings about the police. 30.3% of the respondents reported that they have great respect for the police. Political factors have played a vital role in the way in which police and youth relate together in order to make good crime control and have developed good development of the country. Because the police are the most visible and powerful arm of the state, the nature of the state and the way it is perceived has a profound impact on police-community relations - and vice versa. However, the way in which the role of the police and the relationship between police, youth and society are understood, by both police and society themselves, has a vital bearing on their expectations, and hence on the relationship itself. Most youths in Nigeria always refuse to tell police officers anything about criminal activities in their area because politician see youth as element to win their decision [11].

The Level of Trust Members of the Public has on the Effectiveness of the Police Force

Trust is ‘an abstract concept but one whose origins are firmly rooted in experience; individuals’ interactions with other people and their past experiences with institutions create expectations about how they will be treated in the future’ [13] Ekwonwa, (2015) contends that there has grown public distrust of the Nigerian Police, apparent loss of confidence in them, hatred and suspicion; and the feeling of intimidation by Police presence. Most Nigerians, these days, are no longer prepared to provide or share information that will help expose criminals, or get involved in identifying them. Sometimes, they deliberately act against the efforts of the Police to track down criminals. Instead of reporting criminals to the appropriate authority, which is the police, people prefer to take laws into their hands and burn or machete an apprehended suspected criminal to death or incapacitate him or her for life (Ekwonwa, 2015).

[7] Observed that it is very disturbing that despite the constitutional powers granted the police to maintain public peace, safety and general security in Nigeria, the quality of security is nothing to write home about. Odekunle declared ‘Nigeria police force falls short of optimum performance’. It was also pointed out by Benjamin (2001) that the police has not been useful nor helpful in promoting its image before the general public, as there are many cases of murder, assassination and robbery, which took place in the society that have lasted for two or more years without the police identification of the culprits talk less of arresting and prosecuting such groups or gangs. The failure of the police according to Benjamin to either apprehend criminals all over the country has apparently reinforced the belief of critics who describe the police force as dubious, corrupt and brutal.

Given the cultural and religious beliefs attached to many people's sentiment in our society, the police will struggle to attract people in this category who hold true to their beliefs and will not do anything to compromise it. Many have attributed the police numerous problems to the colour of its uniform - black, who many people associate with evil, darkness and every other thing that represents bad things. At some point, the leadership of the force mooted the idea to change the uniform of their men and women to a 'more friendly colour', but it seems that dream has been flushed down the drain [14].

Government Efforts towards Police-Public Friendly Relationship in Nigeria

All over the world, the importance and relevance of the police institution have been acknowledged. The acknowledgement is predicated on the need to secure society’s interest in terms of rights, duties, and obligations, which are the different facts of the contractual nature of the human society [15] the security of any nation is a beacon of hope and pride at any point in time. Thus, in Africa, the African culture generally puts premium value on the existence of law and order in which the absence of such tends to threaten the stability of the society. In a society in which citizens see crime as an immediate threat to the wellbeing, the police play the most visible and strategic role in justifying the system. Their central mission is to control crime and preserve peace in a fashion that the constitutional rights of the individual are not violated [16].

The Nigeria Police Force as we have it today has actually been through various stages of reform process under the different inspector-generals it has had in the past till the present one. Reuben Abati (2008) in a guardian publication explained that it will be recalled that the reform of the Nigerian Police Force was a major issue under the Obasanjo administration between 1999 and 2007; the reform process was indeed on-going as at the time President Yaradua took over in May 2007. By 2000, the federal government was already talking about the administration’s plan to change the image of the average police man to that of a ‘courteous, polite, well-disciplined and well-behaved police officer and men who are truly friends of the people.

[17] Further stressed that the major challenge of policing is the manpower shortage, inadequate funding, inadequate logistic support and infrastructure, lack of serviceable information and technological equipment to cover all the areas of the State are responsible for the current state of the police in Nigeria. Alemika (1997) and [18] identified one of the key resource and management inadequacies of the Nigerian police force is the issue of inadequate initial and on-the job training and deficient syllabi which places too much emphasis on law enforcement and order maintenance without adequate liberal and broad training that can illuminate the nature and sources of law and criminality. Noted that right from the time of colonialism to independence and as well as post-independence, the Nigeria police force has been a neglected agency. This problem has been made exacerbated due to the fact that Nigerian police government have never provided adequately for the needs of the police members, and other relevant resource officers. However, [19] observed that the idea of reforms in the police has not been out rightly successful because of its political undertone. He noted that when government talks about police reform or when every new Inspector General waves the banner of reform, they do so merely as an attention-grabbing gesture, and also as an opportunity to spend more money and award contracts. Sadly, the police rank and file do not believe in the idea of reform.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical engaged for the study is Social constructivism theory, and Karl Marx Conflict theory. Social constructivism was developed by post-revolutionary Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky was a cognitivist, but rejected the assumption made by cognitivists such as Piaget and Perry that it was possible to separate learning from its social context. He argued that all cognitive functions originate in, and must therefore be explained as products of social interactions, and that learning was not simply the assimilation and accommodation of new knowledge by learners; it was the process by which learners were integrated into a knowledge community. This theory is very relevant to this study as it provides a platform for explaining the origin of the perception people holds about the police force. This theory posits that most Nigerians imbibe the generally shared stereotyped belief about the police force; that is, what is being learnt about the police force is socially constructed based on past experiences and others key in to this shared perception. The social context has a way of influencing learning or what is being learnt; this has a resultant effect on the psyche of most of the members of the Nigeria Police Force as they also feel since they have been tagged corrupt, there is no need for them to impress anyone by trying to be upright.

Conflict theory on the other hand, derived from the works of Karl Marx focused on the causes and consequences of class conflict between the bourgeoisie (the owners of the means of production and the capitalists) and the proletariat (the working class and the poor). Conflict Theory assumes that those who have wealth perpetually try to increase their wealth at the expense and suffering of those who have not. It is a power struggle which is most often won by wealthy elite and lost by the common person of common means. This theory is relevant to the subject under discussion because the main idea of the Karl Marx’s conflict theorists is the oppression of the majority by the influential minority. This however is done successfully because of the privileged position the bourgeoisie found themselves, they own the means of production, and even political machineries one of which the police institution is one. It has been seen evidently in Nigeria that politicians most times use the members of the Nigeria Police Force to suppress opposition and even to carry out their illegal and dirty jobs. All these have resultant effect on the image of the police force being held by the average man in Nigeria.

Methodology

The study was carried out in south western part of Nigeria, specifically, in Oshodi/Isolo and Ijeshatedo/Itire Local Government Areas (LGAs), Lagos State. The study employed descriptive research design through qualitative approach. Primary sources of data collection were engaged .The choice of these locations, that is, Oshodi/Isolo is predicated on the fact that it is a highly cosmopolitan place in Lagos while Ijeshatedo/Itire was also chosen because it is a developing area and because of the relative affordability of house rent and standard of living, artisans and low income earners are mostly resident there. The study areas were selected because they are transit points where intended category of participants with knowledge and experience on police-public relations vis- a-vis crime situations in areas could be easily reached. In-depth-interview guide were used to conduct interview sessions for the participants. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select seven participants (Commercial drivers, Traders students, and senior police officer), in each of the study areas totalling 14 participants the study area. Participants were selected based on knowledge, and experiences on Police-Public relations visà- vis crime related issue in Nigeria. Data collected were subjected to content analysis. The rights and integrity of the respondents were respected in the course of the research. Furthermore, no participants were put under duress to provide information relevant to this study.

Discussion of Findings

Data obtained from the fieldworks on the subject of discussion were analyzed, presented and discussed. The discussions were done in line with the focus of the research of the paper.

Factors Responsible Public Perception about Police on Crime Prevention and Management

Findings from the interviews conducted showed that factors contributing to how the general public view the Nigerian police are shaped by the widespread corrupt practices among the officer while on duty. Police force laxity response to crime situation also influence the way they were perceived in the society .It is evident in the explanation of the participants that police were not reliable in time of crime situation and this has contributed to how the public view them. This is in line with [8] findings that policing in Nigeria deviates from normative expectations and it is done with little or no regard for procedural fairness. This was further explained by some of the participants thus:

We are living in a society where information go round. The public see the Nigerian police as not responsible to crime management in the country but they fail to accept and improve on the public critique. Simply put, the police force have enough unresolved issue, they need to work on their image; they have changed uniforms from black to blue but this is not really the situation, it’s about the personality (IDI, Male,35yrs, Electronic Dealer, Oshodi, Oshodi- Isolo LGA).

They are the ones that collects bribe, setting up roadblocks, asking and extorting people for money as if, it is their birth right. You call the police whenever you are in crisis; they arrive like 2 hours later. For instance, oshodi/isolo, some people say police do work with the area boys, which if it is true, it is bad for the security management in the society. Well, sorry to say, the NPF is not reliable, I cannot trust them (IDI, Female, 40yrs, Building Material Dealer, ijeshatedo, Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

Similarly, lack of responding quickly to situation at a point in time was seen as a factor, which influences the perception of the police towards police in the study area. This is explained further in the excerpts of a participant thus:

Well, the NPF in Lagos state, I can say most of them are not reliable because their act in some situation is really not nice. What you expect them to do in a particular situation, they end up doing otherwise and they are always on the road extorting road users (IDI, Female, 24yrs, Student, Ijeshatedo, and Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

However, it was also revealed in the findings that selfishness, corruption and lack of commitment to the police profession and in protection lives and properties were some of the dynamics influencing public views on police in the study area. This is supported by Blessing, (2011) findings thatmany young people look at the police as more of a threat to safety and security than a protector. This is stated further in the excerpts of some participants thus:

Before, my thinking was that, bad economic situation in Nigeria cause the under-performance of the Nigerian Police Force. Now, with my level of understanding and discussion with people, who make me understand that Nigerian police were well paid? I now realized that, they are selfish and lack the will to ensure surety of lives and property in this country because they have bad image among the public (IDI, Male, 32yrs, NURTW Transport Driver, Oshodi, Oshodi-Isolo LGA).

There are certain challenges we (the police) encounter in the line of duty, some of it, is the fact that some of our colleagues are not so committed in the line of duty. Now the problem is this, if the public did not have good perception of what we are doing, then they will not trust us. So that is the major challenge we are facing. Although the list of challenges is endless but I think the trust issue tops it (IDI, Male,38yrs, Police officer, Area D, Itire, Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

Corroborating further, it was discovered that corruption that has eaten deep in to the force has endangered the security management performance of the police force in the country. It was of the opinion that recruitment and selection process of the Nigeria police, which has not be carry out well, should be done in a way that will enhance the quality performance of the officer in crime prevention in the study area. This in line with the findings of Elliott, Hamburg, & Williams, (1998) that police image in the public has been distorted due to their inefficiency, culture of corruption, lack of accountability, lack of training and low salaries. It is believed as inferred from the findings of the study that corruption has eaten deep in to the Nigerian Police force, which has endangered the security management performance of the Police force. This was further stated by a participant thus:

Corruption is the major obstacle toward Nigerian Police Force performance. From the IG to the least officer, if I may say, their second name is corruption. Police will not allow you rest if you did not give them a token from your pocket. In fact, we drivers, they preys on us every time come across them. I am appealing to the government to at least recruit competent hands. There are police officers that cannot read and write and these are the people that are scrutinizing our documents, which are not helping the country development (IDI, Male, 43yrs, NURTW Transport Driver, Ijeshatedo, Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

The Level of Trust Members of the Public Have on the Effectiveness of the Police Force

Findings from the interviews conducted showed that Nigerian police force lack the will power to secure lives and property in the study area thereby leading to people making other alternatives. This is due largely to lack of public confidence in Nigeria police because of their unprofessionalism in fighting crime when the occasion arises. Consequently, instead of placing their trust in the Nigerian police force they opted for the services of private security because they have what it takes to fight crime when situation demands. This is supported by Jerrywright (2014) findings that there is no trust between the police and the policed because of past incidents that have indicted members of the force for compromising their laid down rules and thereby attracting odium from the public. This was explained further by some of the participants thus:

Truth be told, I would not say I trust them or can rely on them, because when you call police, they arrive like two hours later. So what is the point because, I will not rely on them on security matters (IDI, Female, 40yrs, Building Material Dealer, Ijeshatedo, Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

My brother, I did not trust the police. I would not deceive you, its God that is protecting us, even police cannot protect themselves. We have seen situations of a robbery case, where you call police and they come like 2 to 3 hours later after the robbery. I have a friend in the force that said when they get distress call; they will not go because they believe the robbers have more sophisticated weapons than them. So it’s God that is protecting us. We have seen police throwing away their guns and put their uniform in the bag. As of today, I will rather go with private security agencies because a lot of things are going wrong with the police, private security works to keep their name in high esteem but not the police. Police people can be liken to a proverb in my language ‘oga ta, oga o ta, owo alaaru a pe’ (whether they work or they did not work, they will get their salary). So, I feel secured with the private security (IDI, Male, 35yrs, Electronic Dealer, Oshodi, and Oshodi-Isolo LGA).

Supporting further, it was revealed that police are not reliable in crime prevention and would prefers private security especially local vigilante in fighting crime in the study area. This was explained further in the excerpt thus:

Has, my brother I do not trust police o. I prefer Odua People Congress (OPC vigilante group).Police cannot live up to expectation when they see problem because they are not reliable and I did not like them at all. I prefer private security like Ibariba; they have the firepower to confront any crime situation (IDI, Male, 32yrs, NURTW Transport Driver, Oshodi, and Oshodi-Isolo LGA).

Nevertheless, it was revealed that untimely response towards crisis influences the lack of trust the public had in the ability of police in the study area. It was believed that people did not feel secured with police intervention in managing crime situation because people see them as not sincere and truthful in managing the situation effectively. This I s in line with Ekwonwa (2015) findings that mostNigerians, these days, are no longer prepared to provide or share information that will help expose criminals, or get involved in identifying them. Instead of reporting criminals to the appropriate authority, which is the police, people prefer to take laws into their hands and burn or machete an apprehended suspected criminal to death or incapacitate him or her for life. This was explained further in the excerpts of the participants thus:

….every sensible Nigerian should not trust or rely on the police. They will not respond as at the right time. It is really not safe to rely on the police in terms of crisis in this country (IDI, Male, 43yrs, NURTW Transport Driver, Ijeshatedo, and Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

Hmm not really, I would not say I can trust them although I have not had personal experience with them. I have heard people say that most of the times, when they need police intervention, they did not respond timely, they usually fail in their crisis response. So in that sense, I did not feel secured with the police force, only few of them are sincere and truthful to their job (IDI, Female, 24yrs, Student, Ijeshatedo, and Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

Corroborating further, the findings indicated that in order to ensure crime management in the society there is need for community-police partnership and orientation of the people about police. It was believed that this will enable trust in police from the police in order to fight crime in the society. This was explained further by a participant thus:

Yes, it is very possible because impossibility is nothing;it’s very possible that the police and community work together. It is just that certain sensitization programs have to be put in place. We need to re-orientate the people about the duties of the police, so they will know that it is in the best interest of the people in that locality that the community and police work together. All these will aid proper investigation and getting valid witness reports (IDI, Male,38yrs, Police officer, Area D, Itire, Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA)..

Government Efforts towards Police-Public Friendly Relationship in Nigeria

Findings from the interviews conducted showed that Government has invested much in Nigerian police in bringing about police-masses friendly relation but there is need for the police to put governmental effort on the force into justification through effective and efficient crime prevention in the study area. It was evidently that Government has done much in area of crime protection in the study area through the provision of modern facilities, vehicles and equipment of international standard that could help in advancing crime management in the society. Also, Government has also invested much in improving police welfare so as to enable functional police that will live up to societal expectation. This is in contrast with Rufai (2012) findings that right from the time of colonialism to independence and as well as post-independence, the Nigeria police force has been a neglected agency. This problem has been made exacerbated due to the fact that Nigerian government have never provided adequately for the needs of the police members, and other relevant resource officers. This was explained further by some of the participants thus:

Yea, I have heard about a lot of reforms, well, they are trying. I think the government is trying their best in this regards in protection of lives. Some state governments, for instance, Lagos state provide rapid response and helicopters to fight crime and protect lives which have really helped the work of the police (IDI, Male, 35yrs, Electronic Dealer, Oshodi, and Oshodi-Isolo LGA).

Government has been quite helpful. At least, if we go down memory lane, from 1999 till now, we have had so many useful programs or the other here in Lagos state. We now have state of the art equipment and vehicles, as a matter of fact, we now have choppers. The government has been quite helpful, though they can do more such in the area of media campaign targeted at changing the perception of people about the police force. Also, in the area of police welfare, the government has really been doing well (IDI, Male,38yrs, Police officer, Area D, Itire, Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

Similarly, it was established that government alone was not solely responsible in tackling crime situation in the country but need the police force to be professional in justify the huge investment put in crime management by ensuring they were up to the task:

Actually, it should not be left alone for the government. Government can make rules for them. I think federal government has little or nothing to do, they can only make the rules, it is now left to the police as a body to enforce it (IDI, Female, 40yrs, Building Material Dealer, Ijeshatedo, and Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

Notwithstanding, it was believed that government effort towards public-police friendly relation need more improvement. The findings indicated further that effective governmental policies that would allow for functional police force in protecting lives and properties should be implemented in the society. Also, despite governmental reform on police force, it still believed that they lack the firepower to curb crime activities in the society due to the fact most of the reform are not adequately implemented. This is in line with [19] that the idea of the reforms in the police has not been out rightly successful because of its political undertone. This was explained further by the participants thus:

Our government has done more in crime management but their effort is not enough. They need effective policies that would enhance functional and pragmatic Police force capable of securing lives and properties in this country (IDI, Male, 32yrs, NURTW Transport Driver, Oshodi, and Oshodi-Isolo LGA).

The reforms are not effective, the bail is a free thing, is a lie. Bail is never free in this country. Federal government is just a noise maker because when policies are made, they not adequately executed, monitored to the level of execution, on the part of government. Everyone needs to complement government effort, they are trying their best, the police officers are well paid but despite this, they can still do more (IDI, Male, 43yrs, NURTW Transport driver, Ijeshatedo, Ijeshatedo-Itire LGA).

Conclusion and Recommendation

It was however evident from the findings of the study that the perception people have about the police force in the study area is negative and dysfunctional in nature. The situation has resultant implication on the efficient delivery of crime prevention and management by the police force in Nigeria. Consequently, police corruption and arbitrary use of power among other factors have made it seemingly impossible for the people in Nigeria communities to trust the police as an agency that can protect their lives and properties in times of distress. Hence, this study has affirmed that the resultant implication of this loss of trust by the people in the police force is that the constitutional duty of the police force in terms of crime prevention and management becomes very difficult to perform. Equally, the study affirmed that the role of government in abating the situation cannot be overemphasized but however the government needs to put more efforts in salvaging the situation before it goes out of hand. In conclusion, police should completely isolate themselves from participation of partisan politics. Their involvement in partisan politics in form of their unnecessary parley with few powerful politicians has turned them to puppets under the dictates of these few powerful members of the public. Also, this study suggests that the police system should be completely independent, and not under the direct control of the executive in order to managed crime efficiently, and also, to discharged their constitutional duties of securing lives and properties to the people effectively without violation to fundamental right of the people in the country.

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