Community Policing as a Strategy for Combating Armed Banditry in Northwestern Nigeria
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This study explores the role of community policing in controlling armed banditry in Northwestern Nigeria, a region plagued by persistent insecurity, violent crimes, and socio-economic disruptions. The research adopts the Collective Security Theory as its theoretical framework to explain the significance of collaborative security mechanisms in addressing localized threats such as banditry. Community policing is conceptualized as a proactive strategy that fosters partnership between law enforcement agencies and community members, emphasizing intelligence gathering, trust building, and joint problem-solving approaches to enhance public safety. The paper highlights the historical evolution of community policing and examines the dynamics of armed banditry within the Nigerian context, particularly its relationship with cattle rustling, rural insecurity, and the proliferation of small arms. It argues that community policing offers a viable response to banditry by leveraging grassroots engagement, local intelligence, and cultural familiarity to prevent and mitigate criminal activities. However, several challenges undermine its effectiveness, including the public’s mistrust of the Nigeria Police Force, allegations of corruption, poor operational capacity, and inadequate funding. Additional constraints include limited training, logistical deficiencies, and competing priorities within security agencies. Policy recommendations for strengthening the effectiveness of community policing, include institutional reforms to restore public confidence, enhanced resource allocation, specialized training for officers, and active involvement of traditional and religious leaders in security governance. Emphasis is also made to address underlying socio-economic drivers of banditry, such as poverty, unemployment, and social exclusion, through targeted development initiatives.
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