The role and development of the intelligence function in the Nigeria police

• Main Author: Taiwo, Adegboyega Alade
• Published: London Metropolitan University 2011
• Subjects: 353.1709669
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.573380

There is no doubt that the challenges of policing in today's world have put police leaders and authorities in a dilemma and there appears little respite for many police organisations. Speaking generally, however, the advanced countries of the world (the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc), have shown considerable understanding of the issues involved and are responding accordingly. One of the ways is through intelligence-led policing (lLP), which has come to be regarded as one major philosophy or model of policing in the 21st century, with some positive results to show. In light of this, it should not come as a surprise that developing countries (Nigeria is one), are clamouring to join the ILP bandwagon. The conception, understanding and the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in relation to ILP, are the kernel of this project. Suffice to say, that, based on the comparison and juxtaposition of generally acceptable tenets and conceptions, and the processes and practicalities of ILP, evolving as they are, with those of the NPF, it is clear the latter is yet to come to grips with the meaning and true nature of ILP. In essence, the NPF, its leadership in particular, appears fixated on the ILP model, but sounds more as a broken record or disc with so much monotony and little sense or direction. Crucially, what the NPF needs to domesticate or practise I LP--the skills, competencies, the capacity and knowledge, etc, are grossly lacking and sometimes totally absent. It is strange, therefore, that the NPF is attempting to fly, when it has not learned to run. The project concludes by examining some ways the NPF would not only run, but fly on the wings of ILP.