INFORMAL POLICING STRUCTURES IN CRIME PREVENTION AND CONTROL

AN ADVOCACY

Abstract

In contemporary Nigeria, insecurity has virtually become a norm because The Nigerian
police seems incapable of effectively delivering on their mandate of securing citizen’s
lives and property. Several communities have been completely ravaged, and many
others fully displaced leading to the unprecedented number of internally displaced
people. Government has introduced complementary measures like joint taskforce
approach, yet not much has been achieved. Further evaluation of this situation reveals
the desire for a workable complementary strategy, hence, this paper advocates for
community vigilante and other informal policing structures as suitable strategy in crime
prevention and control in Nigeria, especially in remote areas. The paper is anchored on
broken window theory and situational crime prevention theory, which are deemed
suitable in understanding the emergence of informal institutions as a better strategy to
curb violence and crime in the society. The author therefore recommends that the
members of vigilante groups should be trained properly to enable them acquire
adequate skills and knowledge in crime control, and be properly equipped to deliver on
the mandate. Also, the police should co-operate with the vigilante groups and possibly
act as higher tier crime control/ supervisory agency.