The role of public relations in policing the Nigeria community
By SABO MOHAMMED
THe conception of the Police Force as a protective or punitive organIzation developed from the military bodies used from ancient times as guardians of the peace.
A British statesman, Sir Robert Peel, in the year 1829, created the world’s first modern Police system in London and from his name are derived the English colloquial terms such as “Bobby” and “Peeler” for the British Policemen. Several years later, the Royal Irish Constabulary was formed. Australia, India and Canada soon formed similar organizations. Other countries, impressed by the success of the plan, followed suit until nearly all nations of the world had adopted the Police System.
As obtained in other parts of the world, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is responsible throughout the country for the prevention and detection of crime, apprehension of offenders, protection of life and property, preservation of law and order, due enforcement of laws and regulations with which they are directly charged and the performance of such duties, which could be of military nature, as may be required by the laws of the land.
Origin of Nigeria police force
The Nigeria Police had its origin in Lagos, the former Federal capital now regarded as the nation’s commercial capital. It was in February 1861 that a consular guard of 30 able-bodied men was formed to maintain peace and order in the city of Lagos. Two years later this unit became known as the ‘Hausa Police” because the unit was predominantly Hausa at that time. In 1879, a Hausa constabulary consisting of 1,200 officers and men under the command of an Inspector-Genera! was established for the Colony of Lagos. It was mainly military in character but performed some civil duties as well. In 1896, the Lagos Police Force was cieated and armed like the Hausa Constabulary. It was headed by a commissioner who also responsible for the Prisons and later for the Fire Brigade.
Niger coast constabulary
Earlier in 1891, parts of the present Edo, Delta, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom and Rivers States were declared-the-Rivers Protectorate-with Headquarters at Calabar where-an-armed constabulary was formed. In 1893, the-area-was proclaimed the Niger Coast Protectorate and the following year, the armed constabulary-was reconstituted as the Niger Coast Constabulary. In the Northern parts of the country, the Royal Niger Company was granted a Royal Niger charter much earlier In 1886 by the British Government. It succeeded in setting up the Royal Niger Constabulary in 1888 with Headquarters at Lokoja. The forces were modelled on the Hausa Constabulary but with greater emphasis on their military role.
Northern Nigeria police force, regiment
When the Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were proclaimed by the British Government in 1900, the Royal Niger constabulary was split into the Northern Police Force and the Northern Nigeria Regiment. In the South, the Lagos Police Force and Part of the Niger constabulary became the Southern Nigeria Police Force while the remainder formed the Southern Nigeria Regiment.
Merger of the Nigeria police force
After the amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria in 1914, both Police Forces continued to operate separately until April 1930 when they were merged to form the Nigeria Police Force with Headquarters in Lagos. in 1949, however, each region, I.e. North, East and West had its own system known as the Native Authority Police. In 1966, the Military Regime headed by late Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi abolished all the Native Authority or Local Government Police, as it was thought that each Regional Government had put its Police under negative control and was used mainly for political activities such as incessant arrests and detention of political opponents of the ruling party on flimsy excuses.
It is however, long overdue for the Nigeria Police to strengthen its workforce by adopting a ratio of one policeman to 500 citizens in line with the United-Nations recommendation instead of the present one policeman to about 1,500 citizens.
Community relations
Community Relations as a Public Relations function, is an institution’s planned, active and continuing participation with and within a community in order to maintain and enhance its environment for the benefit of both the institution and the community. Effective Community Relations depend on recognizing the interdependence of the institutions. Every community has a vital stake in the economic well-being and prosperity of Its Institutions. The clarity of the mutual interests of organizations and their communities, however, does not Imply that Community Relations can be practiced without careful planning and execution. Effective Community Relations does not lust happen nor is It an Inevitable by-product of a well run, civic minded organization. In effect, Community Relations must be built on a structure and culture of an organization. In many ways, good Public Relations simply means good performance. As a former Inspector-General of Police Alhaji Ibrahlm Coomassie, now the Sardauna of Katsina, aptly put it during a meeting with Public Relations Executives: “Good performance is good Public Relations.” For Instance, a company or organization that offers poor products and unsatisfactory service is unlikely to benefit from positive-Community Relations. Good Community Relations entails recognizing and fulfilling the organization’s responsibilities in and to the communities in which it operates.
Knowing-the community
The success of effects in Community Relations rests upon the Public Relations Practitioner’s knowledge of the people in the community. The effective practitioner always listens carefully before acting. Standard demographic, historical, geographical, economic and other readily accessible data are not found in Almanacs or Chamber of Commerce facts sheets or Directories. Practitioners have to conduct proper research. in the circumstances, therefore, answers to the following questions must be found.
1. How-is-the Community structured?
2. What-are-the Community’s strength and weaknesses?
3. What-does-the Community know about the government or the police?
Community relations programme
There are two basic elements to a community relations programme:
The publics and communication channels:
(a) Publics, as stated above, are divided Into Internal Public which includes organizations, families and their dependants.
The External Public consists of all other groups in the community. There is also the overlapping public made up of individuals who belong to more than one public such as an influential or successful community leader.
(b) communication channels that are available to the Public Relations Professional to carry out good community Relations
programme are varied and should be fully exploited. Such channels include:
(i) Participation In religious and social activities in the Mosques, churches, Schools, Sporting activities and Self-help programmes.
(ii) Community Advisory Council should be formed by a group of opinion leaders from all segments of the community who should meet on regular basis to discuss ways of helping each other and find ways of solving problems that are likely to develop Into major conflicts. The Nigeria Police community Relations Committee (NPCRC) is a good example and is worth joining if only to curb the activities of undesirable elements and hoodlums who live within the communities. This committee provides an avenue for the Police and the communities to interact, as often as possible, with a view to improving Police Community Relations and forestalling issues that could escalate into major problems.
Developing a community relations programme
Developing and planning a Community Relations Programme is very Important In the practice of Public Relations. If the programme is faulty its implementation becomes difficult or even impossible. There are four steps in the planning process, which must be strictly adhered to and they are as follows:
1. Facts finding: Planning a Community Relations Programme requires a great deal of facts finding. The facts that one must search for and analyze should include the following:
(a) Thorough knowledge of the local Community structure and organizations.
(b) The local customs and traditions,
(c) All available facts should be collated, properly stord and updated whenever the need arises.
2. Planning: In planning a preventive Community Relations Programme which Is a deliberate act, and very important to the Police, the planner must state the set objectives and what he intends to achieve. Every Community Relations project or activity should be measured against its contributions and likely benefit to the community. It should fit into the communities’ goals and aspirations otherwise It is not worth embarking upon.
3. Communication/Implementation: This is the main thrust of the actual programme. The most effective approach in implementing the programme is the use of every-available communication media.
4. Evaluation: This is a very important step In the programme, which should be given due consideration.
Evaluation must be conducted in such a manner as to ensure improvement in future programmes and to correct errors where they occur. The evaluation step obviously leads us back to the first step which is fact finding as new data may surface. Such data rtiay need to be included in the next programme and thus the cycle continues.
Conclusion
Many people regard the Nigeria Police Force as the second largest employer of Public-Relations practitioners in the country after the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), together with its subsidiaries. The Police Public Relations Officers (PPRO) therefore require advanced training in Public Relations techniques and strategies. In such a situation, it has become necessary for the PPROS who are not yet members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations to make serious efforts to join the Institute.
By so doing, they will take advantage of participating in various professional courses and workshops organized by the body aimed at training them to become fully qualified Public Relations practitioners. This will obviously help them in performing their duties effectively.
MOHAMMED was the former president of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR)