CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

      Nigeria's rapidly rising crime rate has become a pain in the flesh and the topic of national conversation. There is not a day that goes by in the country when we do not hear about some sort of crime being done by various groups of individuals, which is disturbing. Terrorist attacks in most parts of Nigeria's northern region are the most common issue we face (Achumba 2013). As a result, the Nigerian government has made the threat of national crime a priority, allocating a significant portion of the national budget to crime. The high number of violent crimes in the country, including  terrorism, abduction, armed robbery and banditry, suicide bombings, religious killings, ethnic confrontations, politically motivated killings, and a variety of other criminal activities, is quickly becoming a common and natural occurrence.

     Gradually, Nigeria has ranked low in the Global Peace Index (GPI, 2012), which shows or defines a state that cannot be amended in terms of crime, insecurity and so on. In the same light, fellow researchers stressed that the issues of crime has taken  a very powerful depth and coaxing the country’s political and economic managers and also the nation at large to a regretful situation, the loss of their loved ones, investment and absence of security in most facets of the state. As the days pass, innocent blood is spilled, and citizens' displays of enduring frustration have remained a good reason to seek assistance. Terrorist attacks and assassinations are rapidly resembling those that occurred during Nigeria's civil war. This major issue is rapidly escalating and expanding beyond the capabilities of the Nigerian government, while we Nigerians perceive the government to be inept and incapable of producing beneficial results. Looking at the causes of this abnormality, Onifade (2010) opined that there is link between increasing ethnic hate, religious bigotry, political rivalry, and an increasing population of discontented citizens in the country who feet short-changed and having limited or no access to the common inheritance. This expresses the point that the primordial abilities of various ethnic militias and the preponderant religious fundamentalism in places, as expressed by some areas of the dominant religious establishments in Nigeria, have unavoidably increased or maximized the level and tendency of various scholars who pointed out the same factors that are responsible for the country's sudden burst of crime. They discussed how the Nigerian government's response to the huge unemployment and fuel scarcity has exacerbated the country's crime problem. Poverty, unemployment, and poor savings, which have forced many retrenched individuals into an aggressive struggle for existence, as well as high inflation and political intolerance on the side of the ruling party, have all contributed in some way to the country's high crime rate. Another important reason for any government to exist is to have anti-corruption institutions. The function is emphasized in the Federal Republic of Nigeria's 1999 constitution, which states that "crime and the welfare of the people shall be the major reasons for the government's existence." The government entrusted the maintenance of internal crime to the Nigerian police to carry out this obligation. The Nigerian police are tasked by law with preventing, stopping, and detecting crime, maintaining national peace and order, and enforcing all laws and regulations. They are also expected to accomplish these tasks effectively and efficiently. With the increasing prevalence of crime in the country today, many individuals believe that the Nigerian police are falling short of their essential levels of performance(Okiro 2007). They are considered as a toothless dog that can just bark but not bite. Researchers discussed if there is a necessity to prove the Nigerian police's non-performance in the current situation. Rather, all that is required is the identification of the major incompetence, problems, and limits that are to blame for the current state of affairs.

      The Nigerian police force is an integral aspect of the country's civil society. As a result, in addition to the challenges that have rendered their job ineffective in recent years, they face human issues that not only exacerbate its material deficiencies, but also have a significant negative impact on its overall performance from day to day. Underfunding and under-utilization of monies for essential aspects of force expansion, such as training, logistics, weaponry and ammunition, and so on, are teeth on the rim of competent and productive police performance. Morality is not a virtue among cops. It was discussed that police corruption and the theft of money from individuals is a big concern, as they are expected to be moral and valuable as law enforcement officers. Officers slaughtered efficient and productive performance of duties on the verge of corruption in their desire to meet up with mates in the community(Adegoke 2013).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) incapacity to ensure that crime rates are lowered, that life and property are protected, and that the country's ongoing crime challenges are frightening. The causes of crime in the country are far too many to list, and they cannot be attributed to a single component of the system. They range from the government to the police and finally to the general public. On the police's side, there are a number of factors that serve as roadblocks to their exceptionally poor performance. A large number of Nigerians have characterized the police as a group of lazy, inept, corrupt, uniformed men and women who contribute to the commission of crimes such as mass murder, intimidation, rape, extrajudicial killings/summary executions, and other hateful and evil crimes against the citizens they are paid to protect. The extrajudicial killing of Boko Haram's commander by Nigerian police is linked to the group's quick and wide-spread violence in the northern part of the country. It is also typical for authorities to erroneously designate innocent people as armed robbers, while the real criminals operate freely in society and do what they know best. They fudged post-mortem results, and to make matters worse, persons, both criminals and non-criminals, mysteriously vanish from detention with no explanation, leaving innocent victims' relatives vulnerable to extortion. In its annual report, the Nigerian Police Force (2008) stated that the police force is handicapped due to a number of issues, including a lack of resources, insufficient government backing, poor service conditions, a lack of proper and enough training, and an ill-equipped personnel. The issue of police extortion and corruption, as well as other vices endemic in the police system, are dealt with, contributing to their inefficiency. Roth et. al (1999) posit that police corruption is a serious issue because they are expected to be moral as law-enforcement agents. If the police who were hired and paid with the people's money to protect them and identify crimes for them are corrupt and involved in crimes themselves, then the entire society is at the mercy and grace of criminals. The foregoing, among many other factors, contribute to the Nigerian Police Force and the issues of crime control and management.

1.3 Objectives of the study

     The major aim of the study will be to examine the public perception on the role of police in crime control and management. Other specific objectives of the study include;

     1.To identify the types of crime in Jos North.

2.To assess public perception of the role of the police in the management of crime in Jos North.

3.To determine the impact of effective crime management and control by the Nigeria police in Jos North.

4.To determine the major challenges to effective crime control and management by the police in Jos North.

5.To proffer solutions and recommend ways towards mitigating the rate of crime in Jos North.

1.4.           Research Questions

1.      What are the types of crime in Jos North.

2.      What is the perception of the public on the role of the police in the management of crime in Jos North?

3.      To determine the impact of effective crime management and control by the Nigeria police in Jos North?

4.      To determine the major challenges of effective crime control and management by the police in Jos North?

5.      What are the solutions and recommendations towards mitigating the rate of crime in Jos North.

1.5.           Significance Of The Study

     This study would enable the researcher to pass their experience on the subject matter to the police, government ministries, schools, students, to serve as a medium for further research.

          The study will be significant to the police force as it will be extremely beneficial in solving problems of the police in effective crime control and management.

     The study will be significant to government ministries because it will help to show the roles the government is expected to play in providing necessary atmosphere and policy framework for the prevention and curbing of the criminal activities. It would also recommend ways to the government in which it can help create awareness of kidnapping.

    This study will be significant to both lecturers and students because the research will depict an important way for students[students, researchers and lecturers]. It will also stand as a medium for other research in schoolsand colleges. Students, researchers and academics who are interested in conducting additional research on the topic will profit from the study.

1.6.  Scope of Study

          The study would cover the public perception on the role of the police in crime control and management. The study was carried in Jos North. The geographical area is Jos. Jos is a city in the middle belt of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called “J-town”, it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. The city is located on the Jos Plateau state at about 1,238 meters or 4,062 feet above sea level. The research will be centered in Jos North.

1.7.Definition of terms.

1.7.1. Public Perception: Public perception is a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem.

1.7.2.Police: The police are constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder.

1.7.3. Crime Control and Management: Crime control and management refers to the methods taken to reduce crime in a society.