THE GROWING AWARENESS OF THE ROLES OF COMMUNITY POLICING IN ESAN LAND, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study empirically examined the roles of community policing on crime prevention in Nigeria. It specifically aimed at investigating the extent of awareness of community policing in Esan land. To achieve this, an online survey method of investigation was applied, and structured questionnaires were distributed across major communities in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State. A sample size of 201 respondents was carefully selected through random sampling techniques. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0) was employed for all analyses. All statistical tests were conducted at the 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that a greater number of respondents are aware of community policing in their locality. It also showed that there is a significant relationship between crime prevention and community participation in the sensitization of crime prevention efforts. The study recommended the need to improve management practices in community policing. Furthermore, it emphasized that the change management required should be clearly recognized in order to foster effective community policing partnerships and implement problem-solving strategies, which will necessitate changes in the organizational structure of policing.