Chapter One: Introduction

The problem of police brutality has emerged as a serious social and political problem all around the world, especially within democracies where police is supposed to serve as an agency of justice that protects the interests of citizens. Police brutality involves any form of excesses or abuse committed by police personnel against citizens, ranging from the use of physical violence, intimidation, torture, illegal arrests, and killing outside the court process. In the past decade, there have been instances of police brutality that caused outrage among concerned citizens who demanded answers from relevant stakeholders. Such episodes have led to loss of trust of citizens in the law enforcement bodies, especially marginalized groups and the youth. Trust in police according to criminology scholars, plays an important role in effective policing as it encourages cooperation between citizens and police.Public trust in law enforcement agencies is an expression of the belief held by the general public in the professional conduct of such agencies and their operations under the law. Nevertheless, police brutality cases have made citizens lose trust in law enforcement agencies around the world. According to research findings, when communities become victims of police brutality, they begin to harbor feelings of fear and distrust towards policemen, making them reluctant to report crimes and cooperate with the police force (Wise et al., 2025). This is because various governments, both in developing and developed nations such as Nigeria, America, and Britain, have had issues with police brutality over time.The latest research stresses that the legitimacy of the police force is directly linked to the process of justice, equity, and respectful treatment of citizens. Hassan (2025) believes that whenever citizens see the police officers as corrupt, brutal, or unfair, they tend to have a lack of trust in them. The same applies to the views presented by Bradford (2025), who maintains that public trust and legitimacy of police officers are crucial for the social order since the police agencies need citizens' cooperation to combat crime.Police brutality can also have other effects on society. These may include psychological impacts, civic engagement, and societal perception of the legal system. Victims and observers of acts of police brutality could suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, while communities may adopt negative attitudes towards government organizations. According to Covenant (2025), repeated cases of police brutality in Nigeria have weakened the confidence of the general population in the legal system and increased public suspicion towards government authorities. Thus, police reform is necessary for building trust between police forces and civilians. This may involve the introduction of better training programs, accountability measures, community policing, and body cams.

This research aims to explore the link between police brutality and citizen trust in police. This means studying whether acts of misconduct affect public attitudes towards police legitimacy and cooperation with law enforcement agencies. Possible police reforms will also be considered.