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Journal of the Kuala Lumpur Royal Malaysia Police College, No. 3, 2004

CRIME PREVENTION

DCP Walter J. Rugbere1

INTRODUCTION

I intend to approach this topic from an underlying philosophical impulse,which I have found useful as a springboard for take-off, each time there isan opportunity to examine the issue of crime prevention. It is my view thatthe legitimacy and authority of the state over the people can be sustainedonly to the extent it can guarantee the security of life and property of thecitizens. In a crime-prone society, only those with might survive. Theweak are left at the mercy of the strong; and in the words of ThomasHobbes, their life will become brutish and short. The oppressed class ofthe society will withdraw loyalty and commitment to the state. And for aslong as they remain endangered species in the state, so will they continuedoing all it takes to fight for their well-deserved existence, and the

livelihood to sustain it.

AIM AND SCOPE

This paper has the main aim of discussing the role of the Nigeria Police incrime prevention in Nigeria. To achieve this, the scope will cover thefollowing;

i. Crime and Causative factors;ii. The Nigeria Police Crime Prevention Methodology;iii. Police Operational Constraints;iv. A forward look at 2010, andv. Conclusion.

WHAT IS CRIME

There is no precise and complete definition of crime in view of the manyperspectives to the phenomenon. For instance, Cross and Jones look atcrime from a legalistic angle and state that:

Crime is a legal wrong, the remedy for which is the punishment ofthe offender, at the instance of the state.

Justice Fakayode, retired Chief Justice of Oyo State of Nigeria,trailing the legalistic path, dissects crime in its component parts by stating

that crime:

1Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Nigeria Police Force.


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i. is an act or omission;ii. proscribed by the state; andiii. has a punishment for its occurrence.

2

Section 2 of the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria defines a crime oroffence as;

"An act or omission which renders the person doing the act ormaking the omission liable to punishment "

3

A similar provision is provided in Section 3 of the Penal Code.4

And from a sociological perspective, crime is a form of deviance,and therefore a social problem in any society. Fuller and Myers categorizedsocial problem as:

A condition, which is defined by a considerable number of personsas a deviation from social norm (rules of conduct) which theycherish

5

Sheila Balkan (et al), defines deviance as-

A behaviour that differs from the normal or acceptable standards ofa societys statistical majority.

6

Sheila Balkan further observes that-

The designation of behaviour as a crime, a special case of themore comprehensive category of deviance, indicates that thebehaviour is formally defined as illegal through the codification oflaws which are assumed to embody the societal consensus

7

Elmer H. Johnson therefore sees the policeman as:

A formal control agent, who has been assigned the duty ofconsciously enforcing deliberately formulated criminal laws, andthat his enforcement activity involves clear-cut event (such as anarrest) which stand out from the daily routine of life

Therefore, the concept of crime implies:

i. Existing norms or rules of conducts established throughsocietal consensus.

2See Justice E. O. Fakayode, The Nigerian Criminal Code Companion, (Benin Nigeria:

Ethiope Publishing Corporation, 1985), p.23

Criminal Code Act (CAP 77) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990, p.34 Penal Code Cap 345 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, p.35

Richard C. Fuller and Richard R. Myers, The Natural History of a Social Problemcited inElmer H. Johnson, Illinois: the Dorsery Press, 1973), p.3

6Sheila Balkan (et al), Crime and Deviance in America: A Critical Approach,Belmont.

7Ibid


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DCP Walter J. Rugbere 3


ii. Codification of such rules in the form of criminal laws.iii. A deviation from the rules or violation of the laws.iv. Prescription of sanctions or punishmentv. Establishment of agencies of formal controls like the police

force to perform regulatory functions.

CAUSES OF CRIME

There are several studies and correspondingly many schools of thought onthe causes of crime in the society. Some of these causative factors which Irefer to as foundations of crime, are summarized below:

i. Biological Foundation

Prominent advocates of this school are Cesare Lombroso andEnrico Ferri, and have argued that criminals are biologically inferiorindividuals (salvages and apes), insensitive to pain, excessively idle,lovers of orgies, with an irresistible craving for evil for its own sake.Criminality to them is characteristic of people at primitive stages of

biological evolution, who are overly indulgent of their animal instincts,while subordinating their productive energies to the immediategratification of these instincts.

The biological school believes that genetics traits underlie humanbehaviour, and that a substantial fraction of human behaviouralvariation is based on genetic differences. A predisposition towardscrime is seen as a genetic inheritance. Each individual is geneticallyunique, and distinguished by brain code and biochemical impulses.Brain code, biochemical abnormalities of the brain or neurologicaldisorders may explain why it is difficult for some individuals to learn theright values and norms of the society and their predisposition to crime,aggressive or aberrant behavior.

ii. Social Disorganization Foundation

The thrust of this school is that there is a nexus between increasingurbanization and social dislocation or disorganization of individuals,leading to aberrant behaviour like crime. The school observes that thesocieties of the world are witnessing increasing urbanization arisingfrom constant migration of people from small towns and rural settings tolarge-scale urban industrialized areas. The resultant effect is that socialinstitutions are having difficulty of absolving mass movements to thecities resulting in the break down of social order and various forms ofcrime.

Charles H. Cooley

8

observes that movement from rural to urbanarea is disorganizing, destructive and a frustrating experience for

8Charles H. Cooley, Social Organization (New York: Shoken Books, 1962), p.5


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individuals who have been accustomed to stable traditional primarygroup relationships of rural life. He argues that the impersonalrelationship that dominates urban life frustrates attainment of goals bythe individual and consequently increases his primitive impulses toaggressivity and crime. Robert E. Park and Ernest W. Burgess attributethis to the unstable character of the immigrants striving to live in twodiverse cultures, the one he leaves behind in the rural setting and theurban one where his values and behaviour are in constant conflict withthe more privileged class. Another consequence of this socialdisorganization is that, as parents migrate to the urban areas leavingtheir families behind, children lose the opportunity of adequateinculcation with the norms of the society. This is attributed to risingdelinquency, irrational and disruptive behaviour amongst children.

iii. Social Inequality Foundation

One of the commonly shared values in a society is the idea thatindividuals have equal access to the available resources andopportunities. The main rule of conduct in this context is meritocracy,whereby whatever the individual achieves is seen to have been

merited. Failure to achieve is considered not to be the result of denialof opportunity, but due perhaps to the individuals incapability orinadequacy to succeed in the competitive environment. But modernsociety is much more marked by the social stratification. Classdistinction is becoming more pronounced due principally to unequalaccess to the resources of states. Those who accept the values ofmeritocracy and equal access soon find that not to be real after all. Theensuing frustration may be expressed in the form of crime. Mertondescribe this situation as a state of anomie, which is characterized bythe inability of the individual to attain internalized values with acceptedor available opportunities in the state, which may well trigger off deviantconduct.

iv. Economic Foundation

Mismanagement of a national economy lowers the standard ofliving of the people, causes general poverty, creates massunemployment, brings about social dislocation, and accentuates rivalryand competition for the few available resources and opportunities.Those who feel deprived of the economic fortunes of the country aredefinitely going to display non-conformity with the situation and non-compliance with the rules of conduct. The deprivation will thereforeinstigate the disadvantaged group to take to crime, against perceivedperpetrators of the economic injustice. This explains why perhapswhite jobless youths either out of idleness or hopelessness, often takento armed robbery or other violent crimes, including vandalization of

public property.

v. Political Foundation


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The political foundation of crime could derive from the activities ofpolitical actors and unpopular political decisions. For instance, whereelections are rigged, the outcome will be seriously contested usuallyending up in violence. The political party that is crookedly cheated outof the power game will never accept the legitimacy of the party thatrigged itself into power. As a consequence, the aggrieved party willembark on violent protests and plots to undermine the politicalopponent. The unpalatable result has always been massive destructionof property and assassination of opponents.

Political decisions and actions considered irrational and insensitiveto local situations have also been potential sources of discord and crisisin the society. For instance, in the past we had instances wheregovernment located local government headquarters in one area andalmost immediately relocated it to another. The ill feelings generatedby this have often brought about clashes between communal groupsand perpetration of various crimes against each other.

vi. Cultural Foundation

Culture consists of all the values, beliefs and norms of the people,and defines their social behavior. Robert Williams observes that cultureis to social behaviour of people what gene pools are to livingorganisms. Culture gives a unique variation to people and makes greatdifference among individuals. Societies with uniform culture are oftenidentified with uniform sets of value and standard rules of conduct. In amulti-cultural environment, the values and norms of the people areoften different, and cultural conflicts are a common feature. As we havewitnessed in our own experience in Nigeria, non-uniformity of cultureunderlies ethnic and religious rivalry and disturbances in the country.

vii. Value System Foundation

Honestly, probity and transparency in the conduct of individualsboth in their private and public lives, are virtues shared among allnations of the world. In absence of these values, unethical conductslike corruption, graft and fraudulent practices, will dominate allsegments of the society. The rules of conduct will be circumvented toachieve the selfish ends of the individuals, and this will further entrenchsocial inequality in the society with all its attendant negativeconsequences.

viii.Technological Foundation

Technology has no doubt brought about remarkable changes in allthe facets of human life. For instance, automobiles have improvedtransportation, and shorten distances from one place to another.


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Computer-directed machines now facilitate and increase production infactories. Internet and E-mails services are making much easiercommunications, contacts, interactions and businesses transactionsacross nations. Technology and genetic sciences have revolutionalizedagriculture and food production. However, the use of technology is alsoshrinking jobs and contributing to rising urbanization with resultanterosion of traditional ties. When jobs are mechanized, many workersare usually rendered jobless. All of these constitute a strong motivationto commit crime. For instance, I have earlier argued that joblessnessmore than anything else, is a major factor behind youth involvement incrime.

ix. Victimological Foundation

The victim of a crime is the individual against whom the particularoffence is committed. But victimologicalschool contends that in someinstances, the cause of crime has to be blamed on the victim himself;crime is self-imposed. An example is given of a person in a hotel lobbyor at a telephone booth, discussing loudly on the phone and the personat other end of where he is coming from at the moment; what he is

presently doing; what he intends to do further; how he is going about it;where he will do it; what he will carry; which direction he will take, andwhen he will round off. By this, the individual would have unconsciouslydisclosed so much information to the people about himself, some ofwhom could be criminals. If eventually he is waylaid and disposed ofwhatever he is carrying, then the fault obviously is his.

EXTERNALLY PROPELLED CRIME

The first set of causes of crime stated above has to do with those that cropup from within the society. They could be referred to as internally inducedfactors, emanating from the incapacity of the society and the biological

deficiencies or social circumstances of the individuals.

However, there are also crimes that are typical evidence of diffusion the flow of crime from societies with high concentration of crimecharacterized by social pressure of need and disorder, to countries of lowerconcentration identified with availability of opportunities as evidence oflower pressure of need. A typical example of this is our recent experiencewith the Republic of Benin, where criminals like Hammani Tidjani wassponsoring bandits to Nigeria to snatch exotic vehicles. Recently too, thepolice had to return more than two hundred children aged between 4 and18 years, smuggled from the Republic of Benin into Nigeria and engaged inforce labour.

FUNCTIONS OF THE POLICE

In the case of Nigeria, the functions or powers of the police are provided inPolice Act No. 23 of the Laws of the Federation, 1990 and are as follows:


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i. The prevention and detection of crime.ii. The protection of life and propertyiii. The apprehension of offendersiv. The preservation of law and orderv. The due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which

they are directly charged, andvi. Perform such military duties within or without Nigeria as

may be required of them by or under the authority of theHead of State (President).

We will find a correlation between the above statedfunctions of theNigeria Police and the Ten Objectives of a Police system enunciated byJohn Anderson in his book, Policing Freedom, which are as follows:

To contribute towards liberty, equality and fraternity in humanaffairs; To help reconcile freedom with security and uphold the ruleof law; To facilitate human dignity through upholding and protectinghuman rights and the pursuit of happiness; To provide leadershipand participation in dispelling criminogenic social conditions through

cooperative social actions; To contribute towards the creation or re-enforcement of trust in communities; To strengthen the security ofpersons and property and the feeling of security of persons; Toinvestigate, detect and activate prosecution of offences within therule of law; To facilitate free passage and movements on highwaysand roads and on streets and avenues open to public passage; Tocurb public disorder and finally, to deal with major and minor crisisand to help advise those in distress, where necessary, activatingother agencies

9

It should be noted however, that Anderson sets a precondition thatwill facilitate the effective discharge of the above stated objectives. Thesociety where the objectives are realizable is one that is free, permissive

and participatory.

THE NIGERIA POLICE AND CRIME PREVENTION METHODOLOGY

The primary task of the police as have been earlier pointed out is how toensure that crime is maintained at tolerable level. This is the pass-markthat every police organization fights to attain; it is usually an assessmentthat comes through public opinion.

There are two principal ways of achieving tolerable crime control inthe society. One is the conventional police crime control strategies, whichinclude pro-active (preventive) and detective methods while the second is

policy initiative (strategizing).

9John Anderson, Policing Freedom, (Plymouth: McDonald and Evan Ltd. Estour, 1979), p.18


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i. Preventive method

Preventive measures are often adopted by the police to forestall theopportunity or avenue for committing crime. This is in appreciation of thefact that it is cheaper to prevent crime than to detect. The cost in humanand property that may be lost on an un-prevented crime could in mostcases be irreparable, and may well affect the reputation of the Police Forceas an effective instrument of law enforcement. So the police have overtime adopted pro-active measures to curtail crime nationwide. Thestrategies adopted are as follows:

a) Patrol motorized, foot, aerial, sea and border patrols, includinguse of force animals.

b) Surveillance of buildings and suspected criminals.c) Cultivation of informants; and intelligence gathering on criminal

individuals, associates including receivers of loots, operationalhideouts, targets, activities, mode of operations and disposal ofloots.

d) Decoy methodse) Incognito operations

f) Raiding of criminal hideoutsg) Arrest and quizzing of suspected criminalsh) Timely checks on pieces of information on suspects and

likelihood of commission of a crime.i) Police-public cooperation (Community policing).

j) Inter-Service cooperation/Agency cooperation.k) Stimulation of crime situations.

ii. Detective method

There are crimes that always will escape police preventive strategies. Whensuch crimes occur they are usually subjected to investigations by the policewho are usually guided by the following principles.

a) Ensuring that investigations are thoroughly and exhaustivelycarried out.

b) Ensuring that the facts about a crime are carefully assembledand closely examined

c) Ensuring that suspects are rigorously questioned and theirstatements taken.

d) Ensuring that witnesses statements are also recordede) Ensuring that exhibits are collected, labeled and safely kept.f) Ensuring neat compilation of case files.g) Seeking legal advice, where necessary.h) Ensuring diligent execution.

POLICY THRUST OF THE PRESENT POLICE ADMINISTRATION IN

NIGERIA

As we all know, a policy is a course or principle of action often enunciated toachieve stated objectives of an organization. It is an alternative strategy


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adopted after a careful evaluation of current decisions, programs andactions in pursuing set goals. Policy alternatives reflect prevailingconditions, challenges and demands of operational environment, and arequite often holistic in nature, as they tend to reshape existing but ineffectualpolicies, taking due cognizance of their weakness and shortcomings. Apolicy alternative therefore, is a tool for empowering an organization withregards to its assigned authority, power and resources in achieving targettasks.

In the case of the Nigeria Police Force, the new management of theForce headed by Mr. Tafa Balogun IGP, CFR, NPM, fwc, Inspector-Generalof Police was confronted with a high wave of crime upon assumption ofoffice in March 2002. Armed robbery and other violent crimes, includingcross-border banditry were on the increase, far beyond the tolerance level ofthe public. There were rampant crises ranging from ethnic clashes toreligious disturbances, labour and student unrest. Ethnic militias were quitevisible and operational on the scene. All of these overstretched the capacityof the police to cope, resulting in dwindling public confidence in the deliverycapability of the Force.

The immediate task of the new management team was therefore torevitalize the Force through policy substitution and substantiation, aimed atrepositioning and refocusing the force towards attaining higher achievementrate. Much more disturbing was the fact that the management inherited aforce where the personnel had become so disgruntled about conditions ofservice that the junior ranks had to go on strike.

As it was, the operational environment of the police, which themanagement team therefore met on ground, was not an enabling one; as itwas adversarial both externally and internally. It was to reverse this trendand win back the confidence and support of the public, and more importantlythe loyalty and dedication of policemen, that the Force came up with an 8-point agenda of a holistic nature, carefully designed to revamp all the ailing

parts of the force.

THE 8-POINT AGENDAis as follows:

i. Massive onslaught against armed robbery, gruesomemurder/assassination and other crimes of violence, the methodologyfor this is Operation Fire-for-Fire.

ii. Fast and decisive crisis/conflict management.iii. Comprehensive training programme

- conducive for qualitative policing.vi. Serious anti-corruption crusade

- both within and outside the force.v. Robust public relations - necessary for our vision of peoples police.

vi. Community partnership in policing- the modern approach all over the world.vii. Inter-service/agency cooperation

- at all levels down the line.


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viii. Improved conditions of service and enhanced welfare package forall officers, inspectors and rank and file.

As can be discerned from the agenda, the Force realizes that itsreputation and continued relevance lies squarely in its ability to combatcrime, especially violent crime in the country. In putting together thepolicy agenda therefore, due cognizance was taken of the fact that thecontributions of other sectors of the country especially major stakeholders ininternal security, will help energize the Force and facilitate its ability to copewith crime control. The policy thrust gives prime place to the welfare ofpersonnel who, like in any other organization, are the active agents thatmake things work. Public support for police operations is also consideredvery imperative with part of the policy agenda, focusing on robust publicrelations intentioned to advance police-public understanding andcooperation to a higher level of mutual benefit.

The Nigeria Police is presently executing this agenda with utmostscrupulousness and seriousness so that its values as a better alternative tostrengthening the internal security of the country can be validated throughconcrete and verifiable evidence of achievement and resultant falling crime

rates.

Manifest decline in crime rate coupled with numerous successesrecorded by the Police since the inception of the present Police leadershipare eloquent testimonies to justify the 8-point agenda as a well consideredstrategy option that is serving right and adequate.

POLICE OPERATIONAL CONSTRAINTS

Though the Nigerian Government has been doing a lot to improve thedelivery capability of the Force, there are still some areas demandingserious attention, which now constitute constraints militating against the

efficient and effective crime prevention efforts of the force, as highlightedbelow:

a) Inadequate arms and ammunition and riot control equipment fordistribution to Formations/Commands throughout the Federation;

b) Inadequate communication equipment, like telephones, radio,hand-sets for use especially by our field operatives

c) Manpower shortage;d) Lack of serviceable boats/ launches and standard jetties in the

riverine areas of the Federation;e) Inadequate funding of all sections of the Force;f) Inadequate workshop equipment and tools at the transport and

communication departments;

g) Inadequate logistic support and infrastructure such as vehicles,motor-cycles, office equipment like computer accessories,stationery, etc.


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A FORWARD LOOK TO 2010

Between now and 2010 and indeed in the years after, the police willcontinue to increase its performance standards in the following areas:

i. Pro-activity

For effective discharge of our primary task of crime control, we are aimingat attaining 75% police pro-activity rate in years ahead. We should be ableto achieve this through the well-coordinated crime prevention machinery wehave in place, which involves intensified intra-city/highway patrols by foot,motorcycles and vehicles, surveillance on key and vulnerable points,including NEPA, NNPC and NITEL installations, increased intelligencegathering on ethnic militias, notorious flashpoints across the country like theNiger Delta region, and states prone to religious crises, armed robbery,trans-border banditry and criminal hideouts, etc.

ii. Response Time

The Nigeria Police also plan to raise police response time to distress callsto not more than three minutes. We intend to achieve this throughcommunication facilities like telephones and radio communicationequipment that are being upgraded and expanded at all police formationsand stations nationwide.

iii. Computerization

The force has commenced phased implementation of a long-termprogramme of computerization of its operations, especially its crime controlactivities, to enhance information storage and facilitate retrieval of data forboth routine administrative, planning and operational purposes. Training incomputer appreciation is currently going on in our colleges, and through

seminars and workshops. The idea is to make every police officercomputer literate in the next few years, to enhance efficiency in thedischarge of duties.

iv. Equipment Holding

Our operational equipment, especially patrol vehicles, arms, ammunition,and anti-riot facilities, is grossly inadequate. Government is howeversteadily increasing our logistic holdings, and we are working towardsattaining the standard patrol practice of developed countries, of two policeofficers per patrol vehicle, or a police officer to a patrol vehicle.v. Manpower

Our strength presently stands at about two hundred and ninety-twothousand (292,000) officers and men, which is still inadequate for effectivepolicing of the entire country. However, our manpower situation will


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improve significantly by the year 2010 with the ongoing recruitment of fortythousand (40,000) policemen per annum.

vii. Man - Material Permutation (MMP)

We will continue to use the concept of Man-Material Permutation (MMP) indetermining the form and size of the combination of men and logistics in theexecution of our operations as this has assisted us in reducing waste,depletion and depreciation of equipment, and enhance the efficiency of menand effectiveness during operations.

viii. Better Inter-service Cooperation

We will also in the years ahead continue to pursue vigorously Inter-Service/Agency Cooperation. Our commitment to this objective has beenquite rewarding, as we are today enjoying better information flow andexchange of intelligence between the police and other services. Theexisting cordiality has helped to foster joint security operational planning,review and execution, and minimize unnecessary rivalry, antagonism,conflicts and misunderstanding, which were quite common amongst the

junior ranks in the past.

ix. Community Policing

We have also commenced the idea of the police working in partnership withthe communities they serve to enhance performance and quality services.The idea is to institute a peoples police that will work with the people andfor the people. This we believe will foster better social relations betweenthe police and community members, increase knowledge of the policingneeds of the communities, and through the collaborative efforts raiseperformance level of the police. Already, a number of police officers havebeen trained in London and the U.S. on how to adapt and apply communitypolicing concept to our environment. It is envisaged that by the year 2010,

the concept will have gained wide practice, popularity and public support.

CONCLUSION

Crime is a dynamic phenomenon and a persistent social problemworldwide. It is tied to the stability, survival, growth and development of anycountry. Real and potential threat to internal security in Nigeria make crimeprevention an issue of constant review and discussion. This is betterunderstood when one takes into cognizance the escalating wave of violentcrimes, and its consequence of fear, tension, frustration, stress and feelingof hopelessness in our various countries.

I have to say that no Police Force in the world can claim total

perfection in her activities and methods, but review and fine-tuning whenand where necessary will always ensure criminal activities are ever undercheck. As you all probably are aware, the Police is like the proverbialchicken which sweats but can not be noticed because of its feather.


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Much as we work hard to sustain internal peace locally, the Forcehas been up and doing to withstand pressures from neighboring states, inorder to control crossborder violence and even international crimesgenerally. This is because the measure of internal peace enjoyed by anynation is also a factor of the external grace that country can boast of fromclose and distant neighbouring states. Taking Africa as the cornerstone ofNigerias foreign policy, the Police have been caring the neighbouringcountries along in our crusade. The Force in regional cooperation throughthe International Criminal Police Organization [ICPO/INTERPOL] and theWest African Committee of Chiefs of Police [WACCPO] is achievingsuccess in solving cases of unresolved investigations, the disappearance ofthousands of stolen vehicles and properties. It is pertinent to reiterate thatthe Police is playing a pivotal role in maintenance of internal security in allits ramifications.

Though Nigeria is faced with monumental problem in the social,political and economic spheres, there is a national and workable model totake Nigeria out of the quagmire of underdevelopment and poverty. Nigeriais a plural society of nationalities and cultures, a potential economic

powerhouse with diverse human and capital resources and strategiclocation in the international arena. The Nigeria Police has been playing andwill continue to play that vital role of making our nation safe and secure forgenuine businesses, more so in our present democratic dispensation.

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