EVALUATION OF IMPACT OF POLICE IMAGE-REDEEMING STRATEGIES BY CITIZENS IN CENTRAL NIGERIA

Abstract

From the inception of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in 1861, the institution has continued to face many challenges such as poor funding, shortage of quality personnel, and unprofessionalism, including extortion from and intimidation of the people they are expected to protect. Complicating these challenges is the issue of misconduct by personnel of the NPF which has seriously dented their image apart from undermining their popular slogan “Police is your friend” because many citizens do not believe this is true of the Force. To redeem their image and gain the trust and cooperation of the public, the NPF established, implemented and improved some of their public relations policies, strategies and campaigns. Much as these measures are commendable, there is a need to interrogate how they have impacted public perception of the Force. Hence, the study seeks to find out if members of the public are aware of these strategies, how they evaluate these strategies and if the strategies have made them perceive the NPF in better light. To go about that, the study employs a quantitative approach, using the survey research design and the questionnaire. It has a population of 9,735,656 drawn from Plateau State, Nasarawa State and Abuja in North Central Nigeria; with a sample size of 400 determined using the Taro Yamane sampling formula. A total of 400 copies of the questionnaire were administered out of which 385 copies were returned and used for analysis. Results showed that the NPF is still perceived in a negative light by members of the public, and the public relations strategies employed thus far have not been effective. Arising from the findings, the study recommends that the NPF should engage in continuous enlightenment campaigns about their institution, engage better with the members of the public, promote citizens’ rights, constant awareness creation through the media, as well as, provide channels for feedback and act on them. These measures would help to improve the impact of their campaigns. And make their PR strategies more effective.