The World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI) has put Nigeria Police Force (NPF) at the bottom of a list ranking police forces across the world. The country’s internal security outfit ranks 124th to 127 countries.
According to the study report » which was compiled by WISPI and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) , the best police service in Africa is Botswana (47th in the world) and was followed by Rwanda (50th), Algeria (58th), Senegal (68th) and Tunisia (72th).
The study uses the following four indicators to assess police service in these 127 countries - capacity, process, legitimacy and outcomes.
Also Read: Corruption in Nigeria: Government agencies collected $4.6 billion as bribes in 2016 »
“WISPI measures the ability of the police and other security providers to address internal security issues in 127 countries, across four domains, using sixteen indicators,” authors of the report stated.
On Nigeria’s police service ranking, it is however not surprising as the outfit fell short of required standard based on these criteria.
On capacity
The current size of NPF is short of the required community policing standard. The size of the country’s police service is put at
370,000, approximately puts the ratio of 1 policeman to 459 Nigerians » . This, thus, limits the capacity of the service to effectively carry out its law and order responsibilities.
This sounds incredible in a country where the police are poorly equipped, poorly funded and many of its men poorly trained. As a result, the outcome of the process manned by the force is mostly poor and best expected results.
Many criminal cases have been lost in court, simply due to poor investigation process by the force. Hence, making the security's performance to be below peer across the world.
Process and Legitimacy
Process and procedure are two things that are never found with the Nigeria Police. It is either an intentional action or it has become a feature of the service. Citizens are arrested at will and put into prison for just suspicion on the part of a police force.
In 2016 only, there are no less 60 officially » recorded cases of extra-judicial execution of innocent citizens and presumed criminals by the NPF. More so, cases of unlawful detention are numerous and corruption in the service is endemic.
Many people are always in fear and never wanted to have a relationship with the police in Nigeria. To Nigeria police, you are a criminal first, and the task lays on you to prove otherwise.
Corruption
The NPF also have a great legitimacy problem due to high level of corruption within the service. In some locations in the country, being a police official is a surely a means to abuse of power and economic extortion.
There are many check points in Nigeria than needed, and they are used as extortion and revenue generation points. A movement round the country shows Nigerian police are more interested in survival than the actual policing duties.
Putting all these in perspective, there is no way Nigeria would rank high on the list.
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