Community Policing in Contemporary Nigeria: A Synthesis of Models

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore ways in which the agencies of the indigenous Nigerian social control
mechanisms can be integrated into the community policing project in contemporary Nigeria It begins by
discussing the ineffectiveness of community policing project based on the structures of the Nigerian police
service a ‘colonial legacy’ in combating person and property crimes in Nigeria. The article describes the
limitations of the Nigerian Police Organisation, the relevance of the indigenous agencies of social control in
detecting and preventing the criminal acts of terrorism and kidnapping based on the notion that perpetrators
of these acts most at times resides or hide in the locations where these criminals acts take place.The article
concludes by reconverting that agencies of the indigenous social control systems be incorporated in the
formal community policing project.Finally, apart from the formal collaboration between the police and
agencies of the indigenous social control systems in the area of formulating crime prevention strategies, the
police should bereorganised and be more responsive, civil and fair to members of the Nigerian citizenry.