INFORMAL SECURITY STRUCTURES AND COMMUNITY CRIME CONTROL IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The inability of the Nigeria Police to adequately guarantee public safety led to the emergence of Informal Security Structures (ISS) in several neighbourhoods in Nigeria. These structures which are unconventional community initiatives organised to protect lives and property of members became more prominent in the twilight of military rule in the 1990s, particularly in Lagos State. However, not much exists in the literature about their types, modes of operation, relationship with the Nigeria Police and effectiveness in crime control. This study, therefore, investigated the types of ISS in Lagos State, their relationship with the Nigeria Police, modes of operation, and public perceptions about their effectiveness in crime control.

The study adopted the survey research design and utilised the relational cohesion and postcolonial state theories as guides. It covered Ikeja, Mushin, Ikorodu and Eti-Osa Local Government Areas of Lagos State, which were selected based on reported high crime rate. Copies of a questionnaire were administered to 1,017 respondents aged 18years and above who were sampled through multistage sampling technique. Forty-six In-depth Interviews were conducted with purposively selected members of identified ISS, Police personnel and community leaders. Five Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were held with two purposively selected groups of ISS operatives, adult male, adult female, and youth community members. The qualitative data were content analysed while simple percentages were used to analyse the quantitative data.

Three types of ISS were identified in the study communities, namely, state-organised, community-organised and individual house-owner/occupant employed. Each ISS was distinctly organised but worked with other ISS to give a sense of safety to residents. The State-organised ISS were trained and supervised by the Police, and worked full-time during the day and at night. The other two types were largely part-time, operated mostly at night and bore arms and/or charms. House-owner/occupant employed ISS operated within their employers’ residences while the other forms patrolled the streets and mounted road blocks in strategic locations after dusk in groups. Usually, they arrested and handed suspects over to the police. Majority (90.1%) of the respondents supported the existence of ISS; 92.3% reported that their presence improved the safety of their neighbourhoods; while 85.2% expressed satisfaction with their services. The FGDs corroborated the survey results, but showed that ISS were limited in the type of crimes they could handle because they were ill-trained and ill-equipped. The interviews revealed that although a relationship of cooperation existed between registered ISS and the police, unregistered ISS mostly had a dysfunctional relationship with the police because some of them bore arms illegally and violated suspects’ rights.

Three Informal Security Structures in Lagos State, namely, state-organised, community-organised and individual house-owner/occupant employed, patrolled the streets and mounted road blocks mostly at night and operated within residences. The registered ones enjoyed a good working relationship with the police and contributed immensely to crime control. However, there is the need to ensure that they are all duly registered and operate within the law for maximum effect.

Key words: Informal security structures, Neighbourhood policing, Crime control, Lagos State. Word count: 487