ROLE OF NIGERIAN POLICE IN CRIME PREVENTION AND CONTROL IN ABA, ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

This study focuses on the role of Nigerian police in crime prevention and control. Aba of Abia State is the focal point. Is a fact that the issue of crime has been a regular occurrence in Aba in recent time and this includes armed robbery, kidnapping and rape etc. Based on the statement of the problem, some research questions, objectives and hypotheses were formulated. System theory was employed to explain the role of the Nigerian police in prevention of crime based on the happening in the Nigerian system. Survey research design was adopted, questionnaire served as the instrument of data collection, the data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentage and chi-square. The result revealed that the Nigerian police are faced with the problem of inadequate finance, motivation, equipment and high level of corruption in its efforts to prevent and control crime. The police is not really effective in performing its functions, hence their low level of public trust and public confidence on the police. It was therefore recommended that the Nigerian government should carry out a reform that will totally restructure and revamp the Nigerian police for better roles. In this direction, the problem of kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism (Boko Haram) and other crimes will reduce drastically.