KEY POINTS
- Decentralising policing in Nigeria allows for faster response to local crimes and enhances security through region-specific approaches.
- State police fosters community trust, accountability, and public cooperation, improving overall law enforcement effectiveness.
- Establishing state police creates jobs, boosts economic growth, and reduces crime, promoting a safer and more prosperous society.
Nigeria’s rising terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and cybercrime remain difficult to overcome with a centralised policing system.
Nigeria requires at least 2.5 million officers to meet global policing standards, 650 far below the UN’s recommended 1:450.
The country’s need for security are so vast it cannot be met with the current force of 370,000 officers. To address this gap Nigeria can establish state police, which would create a more decentralized, more localized and more effective approach to policing.
Each region would take differing approaches to specific local threats, with state police instead. For example, Lagos can rank urban crime, and Borno, terrorism. Since power is decentralized, officers would be able to respond quicker in case of emergencies, as they don’t require the regulation of federal authority.
In addition, local policing facilitates better community trust. Since local police will be better known with local cultures and security needs.
Lessons for the global & benefits of decentralisation
State police idea is not new. Successful adoption of local policing models have been seen in the countries such as the US, India, Canada, and South Africa.
Crime issues in the state are addressed by the Texas Rangers and California Highway Patrol and India’s Maharashtra police effectively fight cybercrime, for example. Federal forces are joined by Canada’s Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to support community policing.
The benefits of state police in Nigeria are clear:
– Faster response to local crime: Since federal orders are not required, local officers can act quickly.
– Community trust: Public cooperation to solve crimes is therefore developed in closer community ties.
– Accountability: SPSC guarantees oversight and assures against abuse.
– Economic growth: Investments, and their benefits to local communities and economies, follow safer communities.
– Job creation: This would create thousands of new state police units, i.e., units of jobs in recruitment, training and administration.
Concerns & cotton: building trust
It’s opposed by those who claim that state police can be misused by governors for political purposes just as state independent electoral commissions (SIEC) can be.
But, this risk can be taken care of by, putting in place clear legal frameworks, judicial oversight, and a state police independent commissions responsible for overseeing officer conduct. State police could also be held accountable by civil society groups in town hall meetings and advisory boards.
Time for bold reform
Push for state police is a move towards reforming Nigerian ineffective policing system. Decentralising power makes local communities respond faster, with community driven accountability, and more security.
Nigeria can develop a system that is fair, overseen and have community trust through best practices from other parts of the world. According to Peterside, when the state police are properly secured, Nigeria’s security landscape will be changed, crime reduced and peace will be fostered. The time to act is now.
