PCRC: How trust deficit ruins existing police, community partnerships

Realising the importance of security in national development, and citizens’ roles in achieving a safe society, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in 1984 established the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), to enhance efficient and effective policing in the country. Today, there is very little left of such germane trust, friendship and collaborations despite worsening insecurity, BERTRAM NWANNEKANMA reports.

Following the astronomical rise in crime and criminality in the 1970s, the hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) came up with a novel initiative aimed at enhancing policing at the community level to curb mounting lawlessness.

In May 1984, the then Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Etim Inyang, established the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) as a response to these challenges.
At the formation stage, the PCRC was functioning at the state, area commands, and divisional levels. Unfortunately, the organisational structure, rules, and regulations guiding the association at these levels were not uniform, as each branch had to put in place, a set of bye-laws to govern its activities until the formation of a national body in 2006, and the election of national officers.

To give legal backing to its operation, the PCRC was reinvigorated through Section 113 (1) of Police Act 2020, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), while Section 117 (2) of the Police Act 2020, also provided that: “The Inspector General of Police (IGP), in implementing community policing, shall promote organisational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships, and problem-solving techniques to proactively address conditions that cause crime, social disorder and fear of crime.

These partnerships and understanding between the public and the police contributed to crime prevention, control, and improved security generally through intelligence/ information gathering and corresponding action.

However, despite several positives witnessed through the creation of the PCRC, evidence showed that community-oriented policing as a strategy in the country was plagued by many challenges, including misconception of the core value of community-oriented policing; police-public perceptions; inadequate funding by the government, and shortage of manpower among others.
Recently, the outfit has taken a further negative dive owing to mistrust between the community and security agencies, thereby affecting crime prevention and control in the country.

In many cases, the core functions of the PCRC have been largely relegated to the background, while members turn the groups into political fora where everybody is busy showing off and neglecting the community policing function.

As a consequence, citizens have lost trust in members of the group, and are no longer willing to provide useful information to security agents to work with due to this loss of confidence.
Reports abound where citizens are abducted and killed for providing useful information to security agents in their areas, hence deepening the mistrust between communities and security agencies, which is the hallmark of PCRC.

For instance, some gunmen suspected to be members of Greenland, a cult group loyal to one “General Crocodile,” recently invaded the Olokuma community in Ahoada West Local Council of Rivers State, abducted, and killed three male residents.

Community sources disclosed that the attack was to instill fear in the minds of residents, as well as, a calculated attempt by the hoodlums to discourage members of the community from cooperating with the police and other security agents in the areas of intelligence gathering and information sharing.
On February 12, 2024, some yet-to-be-identified gunmen abducted and killed an Nnewi, Anambra State-based lawyer, Jude Oguejiofor.
Oguejiofor who hailed from Orsumoghu in Ihiala Local Council of the state, but lived in Nnewi in Nnewi North Local Council, was abducted while returning home to see his aged father in the company with his brother.

Sources said while his younger brother was released the following day, the hoodlums held on to the lawyer claiming that they were interrogating him for leaking information about their activities to the state government. He never made it out alive.
In the North, many community members who have reported activities of bandits to security agents are often targeted, and killed by the criminals.

Consequently, many community members have resorted to paying levies to the criminals to ensure their safety, rather than providing information to security agencies.
Given these reoccurring incidents, stakeholders maintain that if the relationship between security agencies and the community is not upscaled, the fight against insecurity will continue to suffer setbacks.

According to them, no effective policing or fight against insecurity and insurgency can succeed without citizens’ active participation of the citizen, who should provide the needed information to security agents.

According to a retired Assistant Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Bille David Urbanus, a sustainable relationship between the community and security agencies is key to effective security operations.
The former Commandant of NSCDC College, Jos, noted that security agencies cannot succeed without the trust of the community, hence efforts should be made to improve identity shielding, which is now becoming very difficult,

According to him, in several parts of the country, community members, who volunteer information to security agencies are exposed and their lives endangered.
“Confidence building is no longer there, so, there is a need to create awareness and confidence on the part of security agencies. Confidence building will help restore the relationship between community members and security operatives. If the NPF does not purge itself, it will be very difficult for citizens to trust its operatives.

“I will also advocate a change in the recruitment system that is going to take a long time and process. I do not know how political leaders will allow such things to happen, but if that is not done, we will continue to have a problem.”
On his part, the Coordinator of the Civil-Military Police Paramilitary Relations (CIMPARR) in Rivers State, Green Isaac, lamented security agents’ attitude towards handling sensitive matters divulged to them by community members.

This disposition, he said has affected citizens’ relationship with the police and other security operatives.
According to him, there is a lack of synergy between security agencies and the community, a development, which affects reporting crimes among others.
That bridge, Isaac noted, has been broken, which has affected the way both community people do their things, their relationships, or assistance to security agencies except for a few people because of a lack of trust.

“The PCRC has somewhat become a political forum where people want to show themselves. It is supposed to serve as a community policing unit, but it is not as strong and effective as anticipated. People who identify with the PCRC just want to make a name for themselves, as well as, protect themselves. The group has nothing to contribute in terms of building a relationship between the community and the police. I think that it has exacerbated the problems that we have in communities across Nigeria,” he said.
Isaac stressed that security agencies have a big role to play in reversing the trend by creating more awareness and building confidence.

“In February, in Rivers State, we established a system where we tried to see how citizens can come closer; make their reports; seek redress, and we took that up with security agencies. We want to use that opportunity to create awareness of how security agencies operate because right now, there is a broken relationship.

“In Rivers State, the people do not trust most security agencies; they used to trust members of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (NSCDC) but not anymore because they have joined the police in their way of doing things. There is no trust anywhere.

“We are presently drafting a letter to be submitted to the commissioner of police for an interactive forum, where the police will be able to interact with the society, and some members of the public. We want to see how we can extend that to all the divisional headquarters of the police across all local councils in Rivers State.

“When the police interact with community people, the locals will understand that the police have their best interest at heart, and people can trust in the police.
“The police do not have the data of crimes, the police should have these data to guide the people and that could be provided by the community,” he added.
Lamenting the nose-dive in the relationship between the community and the police, Ogun State PCRC, chairman, Chief Samson Popoola, said that the whole issue is anchored on deep-rooted distrust.

Popoola, who pointed out that some excesses on the part of our security agencies have impacted negatively on the community-police relationship, added that some officers deliberately close their eyes when they should not hence a lot of people believe that they will never get justice through them.

Blaming long years of military rule for some of these excesses, he said that members of PCRC are trying to build confidence, by telling people that, ‘yes we may have bad eggs among us, but they are good ones, who are the closest agency among the people.

“I think the situation was very bad during the military era, but people have started realizing the fact that we need to support our police because security is everybody’s business, coupled with the fact that more enlightened people are now been recruited into the police

“In Ogun State, we have to build a system that gives confidence to the people and makes them realize that when they report a crime to the police, they must get justice. Also, every community leader and every political leader must see themselves as law enforcement officers. The CDA chairman, for example, is the first point of contact for his community, and he has to know a lot about security. Once we get our security right, every other thing will follow.”

Also, the PCRC chairman, FESTAC, Lagos, Osita Ogbaji, said that PCRC is working hard to improve the relationship between the police and the people. He said that they are doing so by portraying the police in a good light to the people, as well as checkmating some of their excesses.

“The PCRC is effective in my area, and we have been affecting lives by building structures, maintaining operational vehicles, as well as, buying new ones, and helping them in so many ways. When the police have a good working environment, they come out with their best.

On her part, the spokesperson for Ogun State Police Command, OmololaOdutola, said that despite the challenges, the PCRC is a major source of social support for the police.
According to her, the support has been impeccable here in Ogun State.

“They are known for good things that words fail me to mention. Financially, they give a helping hand; they settle disputes as arbitrators and enlighten members of the public on police itineraries and functions.
“They are on the radio as advocates for the people to back the police. They engage in grassroots mobilisation, encourage people to support the police, and their activities towards effective crime control.