Home / Current Issue / Paper 1723575
Nigeria Police and Crime Control Strategies: A Review of Policies and Procedures for Effectiveness
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Social Development
Abstract
Crime is one of the major social problems affecting Nigeria. It affects the safety of people, families, communities and the development of the country. The Nigeria Police Force has the main responsibility of preventing crime, maintaining law and order, protecting lives and property, arresting suspected offenders and investigating criminal activities. However, the ability of the police to perform these duties effectively is affected by different challenges. These challenges include inadequate equipment, poor funding, shortage of manpower, lack of modern technology, poor police-public relationships and difficulties in implementing some police policies. This paper examines the crime control strategies used by the Nigeria Police Force and considers the effectiveness of its policies and procedures. The paper focuses on regular police patrol, community policing, intelligence gathering, crime investigation and cooperation with other security agencies. It also examines the major challenges affecting police effectiveness and suggests ways of improving crime control in Nigeria. The study used a descriptive survey approach. One hundred respondents were selected from the study area and responses were collected through a structured questionnaire. The findings show that regular police patrol, community policing, intelligence gathering, proper investigation and cooperation with other security agencies are important strategies for crime control. The findings also show that inadequate equipment, inadequate manpower, poor funding, limited modern technology and poor police-public relationships reduce police effectiveness. The paper concludes that the Nigeria Police Force has important crime control policies, but their success depends on proper implementation and availability of adequate resources. The paper recommends improved funding, provision of modern equipment, regular training, better police welfare, stronger community policing, improved police-public relationships, modern technology and greater accountability.
Keywords
Nigeria Police Force, crime control, crime prevention, community policing, police policies.
References
[1] Arisukwu, O., et al. (2020). Community participation in crime prevention and control in Nigeria. Journal of Social Development Studies.
[2] Arisukwu, O., et al. (2021). Police treatment of the public and its impact on citizen trust. International Journal of Policing and Security Studies.
[3] Akinlabi, O., et al. (2021). Public trust and effective policing in Nigeria. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies.
[4] Audu, A., et al. (2023). The role of the Nigeria Police Force in law enforcement and policing. Nigerian Journal of Law and Security.
[5] Federal Republic of Nigeria. (2020). Nigeria Police Act 2020. Abuja: Government Printer. Federal Ministry of Police Affairs
[6] Ike, C., et al. (2021). Public confidence in the Nigerian police: Challenges and prospects. Journal of African Security Studies.
[7] Ishie-Johnson, T. (2025). Accountability and implementation of community policing under the Police Act 2020. Contemporary Issues in Nigerian Policing.
How to cite this paper
@article{1723575,
author = {Ogunleye Oluwole Festus, Ayodeji Esther Oluyemi},
title = {Nigeria Police and Crime Control Strategies: A Review of Policies and Procedures for Effectiveness},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {3},
pages = {3917-3928},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1723575.pdf},
abstract = {Crime is one of the major social problems affecting Nigeria. It affects the safety of people, families, communities and the development of the country. The Nigeria Police Force has the main responsibility of preventing crime, maintaining law and order, protecting lives and property, arresting suspected offenders and investigating criminal activities. However, the ability of the police to perform these duties effectively is affected by different challenges. These challenges include inadequate equipment, poor funding, shortage of manpower, lack of modern technology, poor police-public relationships and difficulties in implementing some police policies. This paper examines the crime control strategies used by the Nigeria Police Force and considers the effectiveness of its policies and procedures. The paper focuses on regular police patrol, community policing, intelligence gathering, crime investigation and cooperation with other security agencies. It also examines the major challenges affecting police effectiveness and suggests ways of improving crime control in Nigeria. The study used a descriptive survey approach. One hundred respondents were selected from the study area and responses were collected through a structured questionnaire. The findings show that regular police patrol, community policing, intelligence gathering, proper investigation and cooperation with other security agencies are important strategies for crime control. The findings also show that inadequate equipment, inadequate manpower, poor funding, limited modern technology and poor police-public relationships reduce police effectiveness. The paper concludes that the Nigeria Police Force has important crime control policies, but their success depends on proper implementation and availability of adequate resources. The paper recommends improved funding, provision of modern equipment, regular training, better police welfare, stronger community policing, improved police-public relationships, modern technology and greater accountability.},
keywords = {Nigeria Police Force, crime control, crime prevention, community policing, police policies.},
month = {September},
}