Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
Guidelines for the
Voluntary Policing Sector
(Vigilante Groups)
Improving service delivery, accountability and management
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Voluntary Policing Guidelines for Vigilante Groups
s/n Outline Page
1. Introduction 1
2. A Partnership that works -
Our responsibilities to others
and the community
3
3. Our Structure – the way we
are organised
5
4. Code of Conduct 10
5. Disciplinary Procedures for
code of conduct violations
15
6. Guideline for Operations 18
7. Training and development 21
8. Performance, Monitoring
and Evaluation
22
9. Promotion, Reward and
welfare
24
10. Field Operations 25
11. Finance and Administration 28
12. Appendixes – Sample
Operational forms
33
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1. Introduction
This document intends to provide instruction and rules that we must live by in
playing our role as a group committed to keeping our communities free of
crime and encourage members of the community to live in harmony. This is
also to remind us that the power we have to operate and the trust and
confidence we enjoy comes from members of the community, community
leaders and the Police, as long as we encourage members of the community
to come together to look after the each other and make the community safe
from crime and anything that disturbs the peace of members of the
community.
As a group we are made up of many people of different age, tribe, sex,
educational background, work and religion, but we are united by one common
goal of improving peace and security in our community. This document
contains the rules that will guide behaviour for members of the group
especially as it involves how we relate with other members of the community,
members of the vigilante group and the Nigerian Police who we support in
preventing crime.
In this document also you will find a description of how activities of the
vigilante will be carried out, the responsibility of officials of the group, what
rights and powers they have in serving as leaders of the group and what
members should expect from the group
Members and leaders of the group are supposed to read this document and
refer to it so that we remain responsible and law abiding and eliminate
anything that can lead to conflict and in-fighting among members of the
group. We hope that this document will keep us focused on how we respond
to the security and safety needs of the community, and when it does not, the
leadership of the vigilante group and the leadership of the community shall
agree to make changes to this document so that it continues to serve the
group and the community well
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2. A Partnership that works
Crime Prevention is a Collective Responsibility
The task of crime prevention and maintaining peace in our community is a
community effort. We must agree to unite, to work together as one family in
ensuring that our communities are safe and secure.
This section will help us to understand how we can relate with the various
persons and groups in the community whose authority and support we enjoy
to make our work effective.
For us to continue to
earn their trust,
respect and support
we must meet the
following minimum
expectations as we
maintain peace and
prevent crime in the
community
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2.1. Our Responsibility toward Local Authorities [CDAs ,traditional leaders,
religious leaders, / Landlord association, women and youth groups]
Our local authorities are regarded as “government at the grassroots” and they
have power to exercise control over what happens within our community,
including the activities of the vigilante. In fact the powers we have to function,
we get from this group. Since this is so, we must assist them to:
1. Organise and carry out crime prevention activities that ensure that the
community is safe , secure and free of conflict that threaten life and peace
of its members
2. Define what the community would do in response to threats to community
peace and safety (as we do this, we must get the approval of the local
authorities before implementation by the vigilante is possible)
3. Set security rules and restrictions and suggest other preventive measures
that will assist members to protect themselves against the threat of crime
4. Generate information about the security and public safety issues affecting
the community
2.2. Our Responsibility toward the Police Authority
The vigilante group serves the community interest in crime prevention and
maintaining peace. The Nigerian Police needs our support and cooperation in
providing useful information about crime, crime in progress, suspicious
activities and crime suspects among other things. The vigilante and the
community equally need the Police to support their effort of eliminating crime
and any threat to life and peace in the community.
Therefore, our primary responsibilities to the Police should be to:
1. Timely report of suspicious activities and crimes in progress
2. Improve relationship between Police and the community as it concerns law
enforcement
3. Participate in joint patrol with Police to support crime prevention efforts
4. Contribute to maintaining community peace
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5. Provide the Police with relevant information that will enhance their
understanding of how to effectively Police the community
6. Assist the Police to carry out any other lawful activities in maintaining law
and order
2.3. Responsibility towards Community members
We are first and foremost members of the community before we became
members of the vigilante. Our interest is to promote safety and the bond of
friendship among members of the community and this is only possible when
peace and safety is guaranteed. With this in mind, our responsibility to the
community will be to:
1. To protect life and property by preventing crime and violence from
occurring
2. Contribute to maintaining peace in the community
3. To encourage harmony and peaceful coexistence within the community
4. To alert and educate members of potential crime threats and behaviour
that induce crime
5. Raise community interest and participation in crime prevention
6. Provide information that will enable the government provide support in
providing improvements that address security concerns of the community
7. Provide information that will enable the victims of crime to get justice in
matters being determined by the Police
3. Our Structure
The structure below explains how the vigilante is organised and how it relates
with the community and it leaders particularly in getting approval for its
actions and reporting on how it carries out its activities. It further explains the
rights and distribution of responsibility and authority of the officers of the
vigilante. In doing so, we hope that this explanation will improve the
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understanding of roles, responsibilities and powers of each member that are
part of the leadership team of the vigilante.
The Community Accountability Forum (CAF)
Members of this forum shall be representatives of the following:
Traditional rulers or elders
CDA chairman
Divisional Police Officer
Religious leaders
Women group
Youth group
Heads of ethnic groups
Traders association
Landlords
1. The Community Accountability Forum (CAF) will oversee and approve the
activities of the vigilante group (the group). The CAF shall approve all
Community
Accountability Forum
Vigilante
Chairman
Operations Finance Admin
CDA
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annual programmes, plans and special project fundraising request raised by
the group
2. The CAF shall ratify all decisions relating to recruitment carried out by the
group
3. The CAF shall hear all matters of public complaint issues against the
leadership and members of the vigilante
4. The CAF shall entertain feedback from members of the community of the
performance of the vigilante and any pending concerns about security
The CDA
The office of the CDA plays a critical role as intermediary between the
government –local and state government- and the community in the provision
of social services that improve the quality and safety of life. They are
responsible for the administration of the community and hence will oversee or
supervise the chairman of the vigilante on all administrative issues. To this
end:
1. The CDA will receive and approve all operational and financial plans of the
vigilante
2. They will monitor all special projects embarked on by the vigilante to
ensure they align with security objectives of the community
3. They will receive and review periodic reports of the activities of the
vigilante
4. Where a secretariat does not exist for the Vigilante, the CDA shall provide a
secretariat support that will hold an office space where they can meet and
storage for admin and operational records and operational materials
5. The CDA shall consider all new recruitment and support the process
6. The CDA will lend support to all public security education initiative and
directives as well public request for funds to support the vigilante’s work
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The Vigilante Chairman
1. The chairman serves as the leader of the group. He will give direction for
the implementation of all its activities within the community
2. The chairman shall approve all decisions of the group. The chairman often
works closely with the heads of Admin, finance and operations (the
management team)to manage the affairs of the group
3. The chairman shall brief the Community accountability forum (CAF) on
periodic performance of the vigilante and plans for the future. The
performance briefing should include but will not be limited to:
The number of reported crime and conflict incidences – burglary, armed
robbery, theft, kidnapping, rape, etc.
What time of the day, the weapons used , and how the crime or
offence was committed
Number and nature of casualty or loss recorded – e.g. deaths, injuries,
property loss etc.
Number of threats that were resolved, arrests made and where they
occurred
The environmental improvements that assist prevention efforts
Other security activities carried out- e.g. security education,
community development etc.
General security observations
Challenges of the vigilante
Recommendation of preventive actions going forward
The Head of Operations
1. The head of operations will coordinate the security operations of the group
and will make sure that all plans are implemented effectively.
2. The head of operation will work closely with the Police in providing
operatives for joint patrol operations and providing background
information about the community and crime suspects to Police
3. The head of operation will work with other members of the operations unit
(area coordinators, coordinators and street supervisors) to implement
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agreed operations plan. This will also include holding regular weekly
security meeting to update and revise actions for crime prevention
4. The head of operations will assign responsibilities and patrol duty postings
to members of the operations unit
5. The operations unit will coordinate all community based crime
consciousness and safety awareness program for the purpose of educating
members of the community and making them alert to threats
6. The head of operations will ensure that daily record of patrol activities
are kept which will include among other things suspicious activities and
actual crime incidences
Finance/ Head of Finance
The vigilante needs money to carry its work of crime prevention; it will need
money to buy patrol tools such as torches, raincoat, baton, recharge card for
making urgent/ distress calls, ID card printing, training of members on crime
prevention, stationery, transport, etc. The vigilante depends on contribution
from people who live in the community, organisations and sometimes
government to raise money to support its work. The finance unit must
maintain community trust by ensuring all its records of money it receives and
what it spends is accurate all the time. In addition, the finance unit and the
head of finance will carry out the following responsibility:
1. The finance unit handles all matters relating to money
2. They will create, maintain and track proper record of every money spent by
the group
3. They will advise the chairman and inform the group on how much money
the vigilante has in its purse and how to use the money so that the group
can achieve more results in making the community peaceful and free of
crime
4. They will handle all requests for money that is approved by the
management of the vigilante
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5. They will prepare budget for the group based on their agreed plans and
strategies
6. They will prepare report from the financial records and ensure that there is
no fraud or nothing brings shame or lack of trust to the vigilante
Admin / head of Admin
This is the engine room of the vigilante; they make the vigilante work like an
organisation. They listen to every decision made and try to ensure everyone is
doing their own share of the work that has been agreed to. Just as operation is
to security patrol, so is the admin to the vigilante. Some of the functions of
the Admin unit include:
1. The administration unit manages the secretariat function of the group
2. They are responsible for providing storage for records of documents and
materials.
3. They manage the resources or materials the vigilante use for operations
and they provide information and advice management on how the
resources and materials are used; who they give it to, what is left and what
they need
4. They are responsible for purchases of operational materials and tools on
behalf of the vigilante.
5. The head of admin will work closely with the operations unit to make plans
for hosting and organising all external and internal activities such as
Periodic meetings of the vigilante
Communication of the decisions made by the leadership to members,
External meetings and discussions with the Community Accountability
Forum (CAF), Police and government authorities
Training activities for the vigilante and members of the public meetings
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4. Code of Conduct – Regulating Member Behaviour
The respect and trust we earn from the community is only as good as the
respect we show to the rules that guide our operation as a group. As members
of the vigilante/ neighbourhood security watch, we must bear in mind that we
exist to serve the community and the powers we exhibit is given to us by the
community and the Police authority; these critical stakeholders we must
constantly respect and satisfy.
This code of conduct outlines our expectations for member behaviour as well
as the consequences for unacceptable behaviour. In other words, it provides a
check on what is good, acceptable and what is bad and unacceptable as we
carry out our responsibilities
4.1. Soliciting Money and Extortion is not Fundraising
You must not ask for money or
extort money or take bribe from
members of the public or crime
suspects to do your work, except
it is an approved fundraising
activity
All fund raising activities must be
approved by the Community
Accountability Forum , and or the
chairman of the vigilante within
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a defined period
Collecting money for the
vigilante and not declaring it to
the finance unit is an offence
All money received during fund raising and unsolicited support must be
declared to the head of finance, who shall then write to the contributor to
acknowledge that the vigilante received his/her specific contribution
Use of Force and Violence
Use of violence and torture
tactics such as encouraging an
angry mob to attack a crime
suspect, or using torture and
violence to make arrest or get
information from a suspect is
unlawful.
The only time you can use force
is when your safety is in doubt
and you need to protect
yourself. This would mean that
Any report of extortion, seeking or
taking bribe, or diverting the
vigilante’s money for personal use
would automatically lead to suspension
of the vigilante operative pending
investigation into the complaint or
issue.
If the case is proven, the member of
the vigilante that is guilty will be
asked to leave the vigilante
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your attacker must be armed or
engages you in a fight to which
you must protect yourself from
harm
In the course of your joint patrol
you must not partake or
encourage the brutalisation of
suspects
You must not resort to violence
except when the conditions
require that you do so in self
defence
4.2. Show No bias or favouritism
Do not favour or take sides ; it destroys public trust in our ability to be
objective in our work
Beating up suspects and causing bodily
harm amounts to jungle justice and
taking the law into your hands. Any
reported incident and complaint proven
may lead to suspension for first time
offenders
A Repeat of the offence if proven,
would lead to dismissal of the
vigilante operative. In addition such
a person would bear the cost of
treatment/ rehabilitation of the
battered victim/suspect
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We must not support one ethnic, religious group, tribe over another in
our decisions about who is a crime suspect or who is a perpetrator of
violence/ unrest
We must always put the safety of the community first above all other
interest. By this we must not take sides, withhold information that
could lead to their arrest or destroying evidence in their favour
If a crime suspect happens to be someone you know as a close friend or
a relation, you must inform your supervisor or the chairman about your
relationship with the suspect so that you can be excused from the
matter
4.3. Dealing with Crime Suspects
Members of the vigilante have the same rights as any member of the
public to arrest a perpetrator of an offence/crime or of any person
reasonably suspected of being about to commit an offence
Every crime suspect is assumed innocent until proven guilty; therefore
we are not expected to judge crime cases. Our role is to arrest , provide
useful information and hand over to the Police
Do not maltreat or harass members of the community without cause,
especially female members of the community. harassment could
mean but not limited to deliberate intimidation, stalking or use of
offensive verbal comments related to the persons gender, tribe,
religion, disability; inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome
sexual attention
We must not discriminate (assume that certain members of the public
are criminals or have criminal intentions ) on the basis of what they
wear, their age, their lifestyle , their gender (sex) without reasonable
facts connecting them to an offence/ crime or a suspicious activity
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4.4. Aiding and Abating crime
When our actions undermine the safety and security of the people and their
property we are supposed to protect, we make ourselves accessories to crime.
A member would be encouraging or perpetrating crime if he or she:
Steals or is implicated in a theft / robbery incident
Sexually harasses members of the public
Shares the information gathered from its patrol activities with
criminals or persons outside the vigilante without the approval of the
vigilante
Uses information from the vigilante for personal interests
Should a member of the vigilante be found guilty of a
criminal offence committed when the member is operating
formally as a vigilante member, The person shall be
dismissed from the group and the committee responsible for
handling disciplinary matters shall make a formal public
statement to the CAF about its action
4.5. Confidentiality
No member of vigilante shall release any statement or talk to any media on
any matters concerning the vigilante unless the content of any statement has
been agreed by the vigilante chairman. If approval is not given within seven
days of submitting the proposed statement the member is at liberty to release
such statement
.
4.6. Abuse of authority
It is an abuse of authority and the trust given to the vigilante if a member:
Compels his/her colleagues to do work that are not related to peace
building and crime prevention. This will include engaging them to run
personal errands or making them subservient
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Detains a suspicious person without reason. Hence you must let the
person know why he or she is being detained
Subjects erring colleagues and members of the public to dehumanising
treatment. such dehumanizing treatment could include but not limited
to :
Corporal punishment
Lynching/ Flogging
No member may take the law into his or her hand no matter
the circumstance
4.7. Conducting Search
As part of your patrol and watch activity it is possible for you to subject a
suspicious person to search. However this search should be done to the extent
that we do not, intimidate, harass or subject such person to ridicule such as
stripping them of their clothes, or ransacking their possessions (or dipping
your hands into the person’s pocket). A simple “pat down” to see if the person
is in possession or concealing a dangerous weapon will just be enough. You
must treat women with extra care so we are not accused of violating their
rights in the course of our work.
4.8. Investigating a Crime
Our responsibility in investigating a crime is simply to gather information and
make observations that will enable the vigilante determine the cause (how
the crime occurred?) and consequence ( the extent of the damage or loss
sustained) so that we can accurately describe an offence or a crime that has
been committed and learn from it to improve our operations.
A secondary role will be to aid the Police with information that will resolve the
crime. Our work is not supposed to replace the work of the Nigerian Police
who have the skill and capacity to carry out a more thorough and effective
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investigation. Our role is to support the Police in resolving a crime or dealing
with an offence. As such:
In the event of a break-in or a property is vandalised, you are not supposed
to enter the scene without prior permission from the owner or the person
in control of the property or your supervisor
4.9. Bearing Arms on Patrol
No member shall carry any weapon perceived to be dangerous that could
inflict serious bodily harm or damage to property. This includes dangerous
weapons as defined by law when patrolling. Only weapons for the sole
purpose of self-defence as approved by the Divisional Police Officer, The
chairman of the Vigilante may be used.
If you dispossess a criminal suspect of a dangerous weapon, you are
expected to make a record of what you collected and declare same to the
Police to aid their investigation
Equipments e.g. whistles, raincoat etc taken for patrol must be retired at
the end of such patrol duty
5. Disciplinary Procedure for Dealing with Violations of Code of Conduct and
other grievances
The code of conduct described so far and every other rule contained in this
document is binding on all members of the vigilante. Breaking any of the
rules is an offence and any member who breaks any will be made to face
disciplinary action. The measure of discipline will depend on how severe
the offence is.
Generally disciplinary actions will be progressive to give offenders the
opportunity to seek/ take correction. In some instance offenders will be
dismissed, depending on the outcome of a disciplinary committee’s
investigation.
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In the event of any complaint being lodged against a member of a
neighbourhood watch, the neighbourhood watch concerned, may propose
to reprimand, suspend, or expel the member, subject to an investigation
and to deal with the matter at its earliest convenience and advise the
complainant of its action.
The category of violations and the disciplinary action to be taken are as
follows:
1. Reprimand - this will take the form of verbal and written warning for
light offences and violations. This is usually given to first time offenders
of the following offences:
a. Failure to submit patrol/ duty summary form
b. Absenteeism, lateness to duty and operational meetings
c. Abuse of authority
d. Failure to use ID card during patrol
e. Unauthorised sharing of information with members of the press
f. Unauthorised use of your identity card
g. Misplacement of the organisation’s property e.g. ID card
2. Suspension – Here the leadership of the vigilante will place an offender
on a compulsory exemption from duty. This treatment will given
clearly to express the management’s displeasure with the conduct of
any member that repeatedly go against laid down instruction, failing to
take personal responsibility to change his or her behaviour. Other
offence if committed will attract a suspension even as first time
offender, they include:
a. All reprimand offences committed repeatedly
b. Use of unauthorised weapon during patrol
c. Extortion and bribery
d. Discrimination and or taking sides
e. Beating up a suspect
f. Encouraging violence
g. Insubordination – refusing to take lawful instruction
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3. Expulsion – This category of offence are capable of destroying the
reputation of the vigilante. All criminal offences committed by any
member of the vigilante will attract a recommendation of dismissal
from the group, subject to a thorough investigation to confirm wrong
doing. They include but are not limited to:
a. Embezzlement
b. Extortion
c. Substance abuse
d. Possession and use of unapproved firearms
e. Theft
f. Conniving with criminals
g. Torture or use of punishment to extract confession from suspects
or to deal with a difficult suspect
h. Sexual violence and any other form of physical violence that are
not done in self defence
i. Participating in public protest or encouraging the destruction of
personal and public property
j. Fraud: False financial claims and failure to render proper account
of finance and financial transaction
5.1. Reporting an Abuse
It is compulsory that any member who is aware of any incidence of
misconduct must report such incidence to the chairman and the head of
operations or any other person assigned the authority to hear such matter by
the chairman. It is wrong to deliberately withhold any information that can
destroy or question the integrity or reputation of the group. Such incidence
includes issues of:
Extortion
Substance abuse
Possession and use of unapproved firearms
Theft
Conniving with criminals
Torture or use of punishment to extract confession from suspects or to
deal with a difficult suspect
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Sexual violence and any other form of physical violence that are not
done in self defence
Participating in public protest or encouraging the destruction of
personal and public property
Fraud: False financial claims and failure to render proper account of
finance and financial transaction
Falsification of member personal records
Failure to report on the above could be seen as encouraging gross misconduct
in the group. Any person who is aware of such violations but fails to report
appropriately shall receive a verbal warning in the first instance and placed on
suspension as a second offender based on the recommendation of a
disciplinary committee
5.2. The Process of Reporting and Hearing Matters of Indiscipline
1. Reports received by the head of operations of the chairman will be
documented in a record boo (with the admin person assisting in recording a
verbal complaint, in situation where the person reporting cannot
communicate effectively in writing).
2. A complaint file is opened and record of the complaint is filed by the
administrative officer.
3. The chairman shall call for a meeting of the disciplinary committee to
consider the case, investigate and invite for questioning the member in
violation of the code of conduct. The disciplinary committee is made up of
the chairman, head of operations, the administrative Officer and the head
of finance
4. During this process the offending member of the group will be given a fair
hearing to defend himself against the allegation raised.
5. The committee seats within a week to hear the case and submits its
recommendation to the supervisory CDA/ Police representative to ratify
the decision.
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6. Guideline to Operational Procedures
6.1 Accountability
6.1.1 The vigilant group will be accountable to the CDA chairman in the first
instance and shall also be accountable to the community
Accountability Forum. The vigilante accountability requirement to the
Police will be purely on the need to uphold the law, provide relevant
information about the community that will make policing more
effective
6.1.2 Each member shall give his or her beat supervisor a report of all
incidents during any patrol or related work within 24hours of
completion of such patrol or related vigilante work
6.1.3 Each member will be given a patrol report form before they embark on
patrol duty.
6.1.4 The head of operations will receive all completed forms and use this to
discuss security planning and performance meeting with all beat
supervisors deliberate on the outcome duty
6.1.5 At the end of the meeting the outcome will be made available to the
chairman and admin for consideration and record keeping respectively
6.1.6 Every potential crime or crime in progress situation must report to the
Police within the hour it is observed.
6.1.7 Where a much detailed information is required by the Police, the public
and the CAF the request will be processed by the head of operations
through the chairman
6.2 Membership
Members shall be solely drawn from people who live within the community. In
selecting members there shall be no discrimination with regard to religion,
tribe, gender (sex). Our selection policy will strive to maintain equal
representation of the various section of the community as much as possible.
However, membership is only restricted to persons who have attained 18years
of age and above.
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6.3 Member Identification
Because our work is primarily about security, we must be able to differentiate
ourselves from other members of the public every time we are on duty. This
will also enable the Police and other government law enforcement agencies
such as the National Civil Defence to recognise us and differentiate us from
persons who may want to hide under the pretence of vigilante to commit
crime. As a result:
1. All members of the vigilante will have identity cards and carry them every
time they are on patrol or performing any other vigilante work
2. The identity cards of members must contain:
o A recent photograph of the member,
o His or her full names,
o Identity number
o Member’s signature or thumb print
o Authorisation and signature of the CDA, chairman of the vigilante
and
o Bear reference to Police station with law enforcement jurisdiction
(responsibility) over the said community
3. The ID is not an excuse or a protection for members who commit offence
either within or outside the community. Therefore it is an offence to use
the ID as a means of identification when not on duty. Your ID card is only
valid for use within the community and during assigned vigilante work
4. All identity cards shall be renewed every two years,
5. Members who are leaving the group will be required as part of their exit
activities, to retire their ID card with the admin officer
6. If a member loses his or her Identity card, the loss must be reported
without delay to the head of operations or the beat supervisor
7. No person under the age of 18years shall be allowed to be a member of the
vigilante
6.4 Recruiting for vacant positions
The chairman of the group through the administration officer shall make a
request to the Head of the CDA or the traditional council meeting for a
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meeting notifying the council of the office of the CDA of its intention to recruit
persons for the group. The request shall contain the following information:
A description of the persons work e.g. the kind of work to performed
What the responsibility demands e.g. time of work, how often etc
The previous experience ( if necessary) the person must have
Any other conditions where necessary- e.g. age , sex
1. Advert for vacancy will be put up in the CDA office, Local council office (if
close to the catchment of the group). Following this, members of the CDA
meeting such as Landlords will be informed by word of mouth as well to
inform their tenants or residents
2. The CDA chairman shall set up a committee made up of representatives of
the vigilante, CDA and the Police and or the traditional council to review,
screen and interview candidates
3. The screen process will seek to review the records of the Police to establish
if there are any record of complaints and offense raised against or
committed by the candidate, among other things
4. Successful candidates will be required to provide a recommendation of
good character from a notable member of the community not limited to
but include – landlords, a member of the council, CDA secretariat, and the
vigilante group
5. It is important to note that at any point of the recruitment process where a
member of the committee have personal interest or relationship with a
candidate, such a committee member must let the committee be aware
and must afterwards excuse his or herself from a any decision making
involving the candidate in concern
6. The final shortlist of candidates will be presented to the community
council for final approval
6.5 Replacing Leaders
Three months before the expiration of the tenure of a leader, the leadership
council1 as coordinated by the CDA will advertise for the impending vacancies.
They will seek and consider interest from among members first and later 1 Representative of the traditional authority/ elders, CDA chairman, the Police DPO or his representative
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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encourage members of the community to apply for the position that are likely
to be vacant.
The leadership council meet to screen and select the suitable candidate for
the vacant position
The outgoing personnel would spend the last one month providing
orientation for their replacement
In the event that a leader leaves suddenly without notice the next most
experienced member shall provide orientation in the event that incoming
leader is new to the group
7. Training and Development
To improve overall performance of the group, the leadership must constantly
seek technical support and funding towards enhancing the knowledge of its
members on crime prevention. Two levels of training are required:
Relevant information about the growing trend and sophistication in crime
including but not limited the overall direction of crime prevention and
policing; observance of guidelines on human rights and policing
General operational improvement around key operations and functions of
the group
As part of the guidelines regulating training activities, every new member shall
undergo a period of training induction (a minimum of two weeks) before they
are given responsibilities. The induction is expected to equip new members
on:
The basics of crime and public safety , informal policing and crime
prevention
Human rights principles in community justice and policing
Basic investigation skills
Patrol and surveillance
Combat and defence skills
Violence and unrest handling and prevention
Reporting and document outcome of patrol activities
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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Overview of the environment scope or area covered by the vigilante
service
7.1 Policy on member training
The Head of operations with the support of the admin officer will prepare a
plan outlining a list of training activities for the year. The Head of operations
shall consider the quality of experience of its operatives against the level of
expected performance in determining what it lacks in skill and experience
1. A training request (proposal) containing the training activities should be
prepared and submit to the chairman who will meet or consult with the
Police authorities and the heads of traditional council for approval and
support
2. Deciding who attends training will be based on merit. Hence every member
shall be entitled to equal training hours (the number of hours spent on
training) every year. The admin officer will keep a record of all the training
attended by members of the group.
3. The Head of operations will ensure that no operative is assigned a crime
prevention responsibility without adequate training.
4. The Head of Operations will ensure to provide Illustrative trainings to assist
operatives identify specific crime such as:
a. Person screaming as a possible assault or rape;
b. person loitering around schools, playgrounds, parks as a possible sex
offender or kidnappers;
c. locked vehicle that person is attempting to forcibly enter,
particularly in a parking lot has a potential for auto theft or
vandalism
d. material being removed from a construction site and loaded into a
vehicle at an unusual hour as a possible theft;
e. Open or broken doors or windows at a closed business as a possible
burglary.
5. The head of operations will be responsible for organising community
‘security advice’ and crime prevention awareness training for members of
the community to encourage crime consciousness and compliance with
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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regulations against behaviour / activities that put the community and
residents at risk of crime
6. The chairman will seek out training opportunities with Police authorities,
NGOs the national civil defence corps and any other paramilitary outfit to
provide training for members
8. Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation
The group owes the leadership of the community, the members of the
community and the Police the duty to perform excellently. The group
operates and exists because it has the authority and support of the leadership
and the community. Therefore we will review our performance across three
levels namely group or organisation level, individual member level and
community level
8.1 Group level
The assessment here will focus on determining the capacity of the group to
protect itself and the community in crime prevention and public safety. The
Admin officer and the head of operations shall take stock of the tools,
equipment and the number of people (members) available to render service
within the area. This evaluation will seek to provide answers to the following
questions
Do we have adequate tools to carry out effective watch – torchlight,
warm clothing and jackets? Batons?
Are there enough persons to effectively provide security cover?
Do we have sufficient support from the community, govt and other
stakeholders to guarantee protection? And keep members motivated
over a long period??
Is the public losing confidence in us or gaining our trust?
Are our members being accused of applying jungle justice?
Is the community satisfied with our performance? Do they feel safe
The outcome of this assessment will typically form the basis of its request for
support in addressing its challenges
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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8.2 Community Level
The vigilante group shall provide a report of the events that have occurred
within the community during its watch activities that IS:
Actual crime committed
Number of crime, violence foiled
Suspicious events observed
Activities that posed a crime threat
Recommendations about environmental improvements that can reduce
the chances of crime being committed
Security advice for homes and business within the community
Issues between Police and the community- what offends and what
needs to be praised
The vigilante will work closely with the CDA and traditional authorities
seeking other means of passing information to members conducting this
assessment, the CDA chairman will create a session during its periodic
meeting schedule with resident / Landlord to hear or receive feedback
/comments from members of the community. The chairman of the vigilante is
expected to lead the session by asking specific questions. Concerns The
comments will be recorded by the admin officer.
The group leadership will deliberate on the feedback it receives to address
concerns raised about the conduct and performance of its members. While
issues concerning the quality of law enforcement and issues of new security
threat shall be deliberated upon by group, the Police and the leadership
council in seeking new ways to addressing the community concerns for safety
8.3 Individual Level
As a result it will ensure that as it carries out its activities and keeps a record of
it and the events that occur within so that it can properly measure if it is doing
its work well. To make this happen:
1. Every beat or unit of operation must keep a record and regularly
update changes in the area, especially the changes that raise security
and public safety concern
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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2. The head of operations will meet with Police to determine the kind of
field information will make their job of crime prevention and the
protection of lives and property of members of the community easy
3. Each beat/ unit supervisor will monitor and score the performance of
each operative
4. The supervisor will be responsible for putting together the field reports
and to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Police and those
set by the leadership of the group
5. In scoring or assessing their operatives , supervisors will consider among
other things, the following:
a. Character
b. Attitude to work
c. Reported complaints
d. Incidence of performance – preventing crime or providing useful
information that led to crime or violence avoidance
e. Disciplinary concerns and reports
9. Promotions, Rewards and Welfare
Each leadership position must be subject to tenure. The tenure for any single
term can range from 1 – 3 years depending on what is agreed within the
constitution. The terms of office will not exceed two terms for any person and
for a particular position. The positions eligible for this process shall be those of
the coordinator, the head of operations and the chairman of the group. It is
important to a mention a few conditions that qualify persons for each of the
positions
Chairman
Previous experience in leading operations or managing a group of
neighbourhood watch or any security outfit
Residency within the community
Head of operations
Experience in role as a beat/unit or program coordinator
Knowledge of the environment and public safety conditions
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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Residency within the community
Head of finance
Past record of accountability and ability to manage treasury and book
keeping function of a social club, age grade, trade association or work
experience as an accountant or finance manager
Coordinator
Experience in leading people in patrol/surveillance or managing grassroots
mobilisation
Experience in carrying out crime watch or undertaking or rendering
community service over a period
9.1 Promotions
The management team consisting of the chairman, head of operations,
finance and admin operatives shall consider all requests for promotion
following the outcome of individual evaluations. A satisfactory performance
over two annual evaluations should earn an elevation in position as shown in
the diagram below
Officer
Area
coordinator
Operative
Beat/ unit
coordinator Senior
operative
Head
operations
Asst
officer Asst
officer
Head of Finance/
Head of admin
Head of admin
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[30]
9.2 Rewards and Member Welfare
Members should be aware that the group and the service it provides are
voluntary. Hence it may not be able to totally compensate its members for
the work their service. However the group shall offer the following, based on
the money it has at its disposal to do so.
1. A monthly stipend or allowance at a flat rate will be given to members
regardless of position. This amount will be determined by the head of
traditional authorities and the CDA chairman
2. A health and accident insurance health insurance cover will be taken for
all members of the operations unit to cater for members welfare
3. Members will be given first opportunity to be nominated for short
employments for community jobs organised by the government and
corporate organisations
10. Field Operations
In this section guideline to three broad activities are covered, they include:
Patrol/surveillance
Public safety Awareness campaign
Planning and Monitoring
10.1 Patrols/ Surveillance
10.1.1 Every patrol / surveillance decision should be influenced by a posting
plan to ensure effective coverage of the area. Some of the
considerations that a coordinator/ head of operations should bear in
mind are:
10.1.2 That all members of the group are assigned to a particular area ,
matching names and person to locations
10.1.3 That each unit of patrol must consist of at least two persons
10.1.4 The head of must keep a record sheet or log of deployment and
field reports
10.1.5 Assigned areas should have a basic area information such as:
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[31]
o Number of major streets that provide entry to and exit from the
assigned area
o Number and type of residence – fenced , unfenced , multi-dweller
(aka “face me I face you”)
o Business activities and trading activities – what kind-
neighbourhood stores, shopping centre, large supermarket, match
viewing centres, Recreation/ hospitality, banks etc? Duration of
operation?
o Number of unoccupied/ uncompleted buildings
o Number of abandoned vehicles
o Nature of road network- number/names of street connections
and link to major exit roads
o Availability or non-availability Physical barriers to crime – gated
streets and fenced buildings, street lights, organised refuse
disposal etc.
o Any new developments – strange movement of person(s), Vehicle
etc.
10.1.6 Operatives and coordinators must report to duty by signing a
register at the office designated for the vigilante in the CDA before
beginning their volunteer service and indicate their intended target
patrol area or location. They should maintain familiarity with the
geographical boundaries of their patrol area and the street and
block designation of their respective location. Operatives should
also be familiar with other active operatives participating in their
program and possibly patrolling in the same area.
10.1.7 Operatives must be assigned patrol responsibilities in pairs. They
must have a close partner who can assist them and serve as a
protective cover when they come in contact with potential threat
10.1.8 To further enhance safety volunteers should work with a partner
whenever possible. Volunteers do not approach a suspected
offender as mentioned above. Suspicious activity should be called in
to the agency. Therefore, an agency issued or privately owned
cellular phone is a necessary safety item to be carried on patrol duty
at all times. Volunteers do not play hero. They maintain observation
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[32]
of suspicious activity from a safe distance until Police officers arrive
on scene.
10.1.9 The head of operations should provide its operatives with fill –in-
the- blank spaces forms to assist them to record and report on their
patrol/ watch activities.
10.1.10 An operative should and be made to identify and report the
following suspicious activities
Provide details of suspects - ex, age, height, weight ,language, hair,
clothing type and colour , glasses, facial hair, scars, facial marks
Automobile details - make, model, year, colour, body style, license
plate number
10.1.11 The head of operations will liaise with the DPO to obtain phone
numbers and rooster of Police men on patrol and share key response
lines with watch coordinators
10.1.12 The Head of operations is expected undertake periodic training
with private securities employed by residents to educate them on
surveillance and to agree a basic anti- robbery, anti-break-in, and
anti-violence procedure, sharing responsibilities among members of
the vigilante group and private security hires.
10.1.13 The Street/ beat or unit coordinators will identify key business
premises and hold security drills with business owners to educate
them on basic procedure for reporting a robbery or possible threat
to the coordinators and provide phone access and other discrete
alerts that will only be known to them (business owners, the private
security guards and members of the vigilante group
10.1.14 As an operative the moment you observe any suspicious activity,
including the gathering of unknown persons, you are expected to
alert your coordinator, who within five minutes must inform the
Police team on patrol. However, coordinators will need to determine
what kind of suspicious activity requires a focus and a distress call to
the Police.
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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10.1.15 You are expected to withdraw from any scene or incident where
violence is being used or threatened, extreme care should taken not
to confront the perpetrator shall not confront the perpetrators.
10.1.16 Nothing however restricts your right as individual or as member
of the vigilante to defend yourself or the person being attacked
using reasonable force to do so if faced with subject to actual or
reasonably anticipated violence
10.2 Public Safety Awareness campaign
10.2.1 The leadership of the vigilante in conjunction with the Police shall
embark on specific public safety awareness campaign to raise the
crime alertness of members of the community.
Threats of kidnapping and sex violence affecting children shall
involve interactions with school authorities and parents/ guardians
during PTAs to agree strategy to raising their vigilance and how to
raise alert
Business operators/ traders to sensitize them and assist them
educate their customers in taking preventing measures against
burglary, robbery, car- theft, theft respectively
10.2.2 The group work closely with the Police to agree awareness message
and materials to avoid providing too much information that could be
counterproductive, if they get into the wrong hands. They must also
check what they communicate to avoid communicating fear,
aggression and suspicion and emphasise positive solutions and
encourage participation
10.3 Monitoring
On a rotational basis coordinators will swap locations to observe how
effective patrol/ watch activities are carried out, and they will also use such
opportunity to verify reports provided by operatives on the field. Other
activities for monitoring the activities of the group include:
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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10.3.1 A monitoring unit comprising representative of the patrol team and
a group senior or area coordinators will make calls and physically
observe the areas covered by the watch. They will seek to observe
the quality of watch and operatives conduct with members of the
community, availability of adequate tool and support for operatives
on duty
10.3.2 Reports involving needs for improvement will be made unknown to
beat coordinators whose areas were affected or of concern. The
observation is grievous or are in violation of the code of conduct will
be mentioned to the chairman of the group
10.3.3 Issues involving immediate actions by members of the community
will be explored with the affected landlord (s) with the aid of the
Police to address anti-social behaviour or any other threat to public
safety
11.Finance and Administration
This section will prescribe guidelines to basic process for managing the finance
and back office operations of vigilante operations, to the extent that it can
financially sustain its activities, effectively prevent crime and promote social
cohesion in the community. They include:
11.1 Finance
The vigilante is a non-profit and not a business venture. it will not buy or sell to
carry out its work, instead it will continue to rely on the financial support it can
get from concerned well-meaning individuals, businesses within the
community and where possible, the government.
Source and use of funds – where we get our money from and how we
spend it
Fund raising – How to get money to implement our activities
Reporting on expenditure - giving account of how we spent the money
that was given
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
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11.2 Source and Use of Funds
11.2.1 All source of all money received by the vigilante from members of
the community must be declared to the CAF and the CDA chairman.
11.2.2 The vigilante will not knowingly receive money from a group or
business or individual with questionable character or dealings
11.2.3 The vigilante shall adopt a funding policy that puts ensures that no
single individual or organisation shall donates more than a specified
limit. This is to ensure that no individual or organisation influences
or manipulates the activities of the vigilante for serve personal,
political or economic interest of its donors.
11.2.4 The vigilante chairman shall seek the support of the CDA and the
traditional to requests for funds from
Periodic payments by members of the community as dues to
support the work of crime prevention
Approach the local government or council for money and
technical support to carry out its activities
Embark on any fundraising with corporate bodies with economic
interest in the area.
11.2.5 The group shall register an operating account, “CDA security
Account “with a bank. Dues and payments shall be received by the
Head of finance of the vigilante and record of bank statements will
be reported to the CDA chairman
11.2.6 The head of finance shall make a requisition for monthly operational
funds to Chairman of the vigilante for endorsement and approval for
payment shall be given by the CDA chairman and or the Head of
traditional authorities. Both persons shall serve as signatories to the
account in addition to the chairman of the vigilante. All cheque
instruments shall be kept in the possession of the finance officer
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[36]
11.3 Fund Raising
11.3.1 The chairman shall convene a planning meeting to develop a
proposal on its activities that will require specific funding and make
such presentation to the CDA chairman and Head of traditional
authorities for consideration
11.3.2 The request to the supervising authority or to prospective funders
should indicate the following:
Why the vigilante want to use the fund/ resource
How the finance/resources/facilities will be used.
How many households, and or members it would impact
Describe your event or project
Provide information about the group’s activity, your
achievements, how long it has been in existence, the relationship
it shares with community, Police authority that indicate that you
are authentic ( especially when you are dealing with corporate
organisations)
Create a list of items including the cost and create opportunities
for sponsors to donate materials, services and any other means to
support without providing cash
11.3.3 All financial and non-financial support received should be recorded
and communicated to the leadership council as part of its quarterly
reporting of its activities
11.3.4 Letters of appreciation acknowledging the support received should
be written in the letter headed stationery (paper) of the CDA being
supervising body to the vigilante group. The letter should be signed
by the CDA and any other member of the council of the leadership.
The letter should contain the amount received or a list of items and
service and other support received
11.3.5 The management of the vigilante and indeed should always put a
ceiling to any individual contribution made to funding raising
campaign and to publish every contributor and the amounts they
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[37]
put forward. This will ensure that the group is not vulnerable to
being bought or manipulated by any person or group of persons
11.4 Reporting Expenditure and financial Transactions
11.4.1 All financial transactions should be backed with receipts, and when
not possible, provide evidence of the request and that the money
was received by someone.
11.4.2 At the end of every month the finance officer should prepare
retirement, a list of all the expenditure for the period and indicating
the balance of cash available
11.4.3 Periodic community Town hall meetings should provide opportunity
for the vigilante group report on their stewardship of the support
they have received from members of the public and corporate
organisations
11.4.4 A Copy of report of the source and application of funds should be
retained by the CDA office
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[39]
VPS Public Complaints form
Name of
complainant
Address of
business /
residence [street
and area]
Telephone
number
I am complaining about (please tick )
Date of the
incident
Time of the
incident
Location of the
incident
Name of the vigilante
officer involved
Briefly Narrate your complaint
Security Concern Vigilante Misconduct
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[40]
Date & Signature of
complainant
Date and Signature of
receiving official
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
Basic Patrol Area information
Beat area Name or
code
Local area
description to the
nearest bust stop
(s)
Number of street Number of close (s) ( streets without connection)
Names of streets 1.
2.
3.
4.
Description of Environmental conditions
To each of the
description
state whether
- “yes” , or
“Few” or
“None”
Street
lights
Uncomplet
ed and
unoccupied
building
Abandon
ed
vehicles
(Vehicles
parked
for more
than two
weeks)
Late night
businesses (incl.
Viewing centre,
cyber cafe, hotel
and beer
parlour)
Street
Gates
Street
security
Major
Super-
marke
ts
Local
market
s
Primary
school
[s]
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[42]
Basic Patrol Area information
Insert street
name under
Nature of
crime
Insert street
name
Under
Nature of
crime
Any other Useful area description
Stealing Car theft Burglary
Youth violence
Kidnapping
Others
Stealing Car theft Burglary
Youth violence
Kidnapping
Others
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[43]
Basic Patrol Area information
Compiled By [
Name]
Date
compiled
Reviewed by
[Name]
Name of Beat
area
Date beat was
created
Name of Beat
Supervisor
Contact details
Name of
operatives
assigned to this
beat
1.
2.
3.
Contact details 1.
2.
3.
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
PATROL REPORT FORM
Name of patrol
area
Beat
Name
Supervisor’s
Name
Name of member
reporting
Number of persons on
patrol
Duration
Time
From: To: Date
Street / Address
of incidence of
crime
Residen
tial
break-in
Robbe
ry
Busine
ss
robbe
ry
Theft
out- of-
motor
vehicle
Car
snatchin
g
Kidnap
ping
Destructi
on of
property
Youth
violen
ce
Tribal/
religio
us
clash
Others
(specify)
Summary of Crime Observed (describe what happened) any casualty? How did it happen? Where fire arms used? Any
losses?
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
[45]
Police patrol
Unit Contacted
Name of Patrol
officer
Time of
report to
Police
Operational guidelines for Voluntary Policing Groups
These guidelines were prepared and produced with the support of the DFID-funded
Justice for All Programme (J4A). J4A is working to improve personal security and
access to justice for all Nigerian.
www.j4a-nigeria.org
Community safety meeting with a VPS group
Neighbourhood Watch officers
Neighbourhood Watch officers patrolling in a Lagos suburb