Are community policing groups a good alternative to inefficient state police? A case study of Nigeria.

• In Event: POL Panel 19. Opportunities and challenges for local and community policing models

Abstract

The Nigeria Police Force (NFP) have long been criticised as inefficient and ineffective at providing community safety and security. They are notoriously corrupt and do not have the manpower nor resources to effectively combat the myriad of issues throughout the country; for instance, armed robbery, kidnapping, gender-based violence, and terrorism. Consequently, communities have increasingly turned to forming their own policing groups. This paper analyses whether these groups are good alternatives to the state police, utilising a media analysis and interviews throughout the South West, North West, and North East regions. It was found that community alternatives are more efficient in fighting crime. They hold greater knowledge of their localities and are often viewed as more trustworthy and ‘brave’. However, they also tend to replicate issues found within the NPF. Member of community policing groups do still indulge in corruption and have been found to collaborate with criminals. They also struggle with resources, which plays into corruption. Numerous members have also been injured or killed in the pursuit of their activities. Finally, it was found that these groups mirror the same structural injustices as the state, namely, ethnic profiling and toxic masculinity. This is exacerbated when the state ‘captures’ the community groups in attempt to control their activities. As such, this paper concludes that community groups should be independent from the state and should seek to be representative of all ethnicities and genders. Moreover, a focus should be placed on community governance rather than community policing.

Author

• Leighann Trudy Spencer, University of Melbourne