EXAMINATION OF CRITERIA FOR CREATION OF UNITS IN NIGERIA POLICE ADMINISTRATION.

ABSTRACT

When faced with specific difficulties or failing to properly address local issues, police organizations are frequently chastised for forming specialized police units. Scholars have tended to view police departments' reliance on specialized units as a short-term attempt to quell concerns about their inability to solve local crime problems. This research work seeks to reveal the criteria for creation of units in Nigeria Police administration in Nigeria. in relation to the security of the country is incapacitated by the inability of the government to address root causes of insecurity and proffer solution to these root causes. This is manifested in the poor level of police administration in the country even in the midst of plenty. The chapters in the study address various aspect of the problem. The revelation and recommendation made in this work will be invaluable and important to the Nigerian police, government, private and corporate organization, as well as, researchers in proffering solution that will boost security in Nigeria.    

EXAMINATION OF CRITERIA FOR CREATION OF UNITS IN NIGERIA POLICE ADMINISTRATION.

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1        BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Police is the agency of a community or government that is responsible for maintaining public order, preventing and detecting crime. The basic police mission of preserving order by enforcing rules of conduct or laws- was the same in ancient societies as it is in sophisticated urban environments. The conception of police is one of a protective and law enforcement organization developed from the use of military bodies as guardians of peace (Adebayo, 2013).

The Nigerian Police is designated by section 164 of 1979 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country. Security, major preoccupation of the police, is the state or feeling of being safe and protected. Hence security becomes very important in any social setting. Yet, it is a fact that maintaining order becomes essential and challenging in democratic states. (Abubakar 2012).

The tendency of growing division of work within police agencies may be seen throughout modern police history. When faced with specific challenges or when local concerns are not being successfully addressed, police organisations are frequently chastised for forming specialized police units. Other internal hurdles include potential inter-unit conflicts or the indifference of officers from other units, which could stymie the implementation of programmes by specialized units.

The rise of several specialist units (e.g., Anti Cultism unit , Anti-Kifnapping unit, SWAT, etc). appears to reflect social developments and police departments' responses to the resulting difficulties. In addition, according to linear panel analysis, police agencies employing Specialized units were more likely to be more effective in dealing with such crimes. In other words, the Creation  of specialized units helps to improve the security situation in the country.

Despite the fact that specialized units are common in police departments, researchers have paid little attention to their performance. Only a few studies have looked at how specialized units affect the outputs of police departments (e.g., Katz, 2001). (e.g., Maguire, 2009). As a result, little is known about how these units influences the overall effectiveness of the police force.

The establishment of specialist units within police  has been investigated by several academics (e.g., Katz, 2001; Katz, Maguire, and Roncek, 2002). However, little scholarly attention has been paid to whether such units provide the anticipated outcome of making the police more efficient. Although, it has been  claimed that expanding the occupational and functional complexity of police agencies would allow departments to allocate particularly trained officers and units to specific problems (Klinger 2004:127). Nonetheless, research into the causal process linking structural changes (i.e., the establishment of specialized units) with performance changes has not yielded a conclusive result (Klinger, 2004).

In this context, the current study examines whether the establishment of community policing units affects police agencies' community policing efforts. The purpose of this research, in particular, is to look into the criteria for creation of units in Nigeria Police administration as well as the  specialized police units influence on the security situation in the country.

1.2 STATEMENT  OF THE PROBLEM  

The police force is getting highly diversified. Despite the importance of division of labour, little research has been done on how police departments split their responsibilities and how division of labour affects police outputs. Some research looked into how and why police departments established specialized units. However, the impact of such units on police production has largely gone unnoticed.

When scholars have looked into specialized units, they have frequently focused on the process through which they were developed. As a result, studies have overlooked how the creation of specialized units affects police department operations.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To this end, the research work therefore intends to find out answers to the following problems identified as follows:

• What are the causes and effects of creation of units in Police administration in Nigeria?
• Is the Nigerian police force equipped and properly empowered to provide security to Nigerians?
• What are the factors that have inhibited the Nigerian police force in performing its statutory functions?
• What are the steps to be made to enhance greater security in Nigeria and to make the Nigeria police force more responsive to her duties?

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this study are:

• To find out the specific causes and fundamental effects of Creation of units in Police administration in Nigeria.
• To ascertain the extent to which Nigerian Police force is equipped and empowered to provide security to Nigerians.
• To identify the challenges that has inhibited the Nigerian police in performing its statutory functions.
• To seek out solutions to creation of units in Police administration in Nigeria and corrections that can be made to better the Nigerian police force.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

A study like this is vital given the critical importance of security in any administration, particularly one that is democratically elected. Creating new specialized units in the Nigerian police administration is never a pleasant task, but rather a Herculean one.

In practised, this effort will aid in the re-evaluation of the ways in which the establishment of units has aided in the improvement of Nigeria's security situation.

In terms of academics, the work will be beneficial. The work will be extremely valuable to postgraduates and other scholars working on relevant projects.

The flaws and other flaws found in this research effort should theoretically aid lawmakers and policymakers in reorganizing our security forces.

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Every research endeavor has its scope and limitations; our scope of study is on the examination of criteria for creation of units in Nigeria Police administration in Nigeria.

Aside from the researcher's inability to cover all members of the intended sample, the researcher had difficulty retrieving some of the research instruments given to respondents, particularly police respondents, due to the nature of their work and their general lack of understanding of the value of social research. In addition, the police stations visited were reticent to divulge critical statistical data and information needed to support the research effort. All of this put a stumbling block in the way of the study.

Despite the constraints mentioned above, the researcher put forth a great deal of effort to ensure the study's success.

EXAMINATION OF CRITERIA FOR CREATION OF UNITS IN NIGERIA POLICE ADMINISTRATION.

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