By Solomon M. Ekolama
Crime-fighting is a challenge globally. On a daily basis, crimes are being committed, with the perpetrators constantly thinking up and adopting new and sophisticated techniques, leading to high-profile crimes, even across international borders. Consequently, the Nigerian government must adopt technology, which has now become an integral part of crime fighting globally, so that the security agencies can be ahead of criminals and reduce their menace to a minimal level.
When the average person thinks of digital technology, whether it is mobile phones, GPS systems, security cameras, or even social media, crime reduction is probably not the first thought. But, as technology progresses, more and more existing and emerging technologies are being employed in crime-fighting. This has helped in raising the bar for law enforcement technology.
However viewed, at the apex of crime fighting is intelligence, otherwise known as Intel. It is the fulcrum on which crime prevention, control and investigation revolves. Uppermost in the minds of security operatives is crime prevention and control before investigation. For crime prevention and control to be perfect, intelligence gathering must be gotten right.
This is where an intelligence gathering network and backup by adequate technology play a leading role in crime-fighting. Intel gathering, from the global perspective, is a platform for extracting reports from the public and using same for military planning and operations. Gathering may be through military intelligence, government intelligence or commercial intelligence networks, which are the anchors of secret services such as the MI5, MI6, CIA, FBI, INTERPOL, NATO, DIA and BIN.
The value of technology in crime-fighting cannot be over-emphasised. For instance, in advanced countries, law enforcement agencies are now using statistical analysis and predictive modelling in the fight against crime. Police and government authorities are combing through data to identify trends and to highlight possible connections between events. As a result, police authorities have a better handle on crime in the areas they are protecting, as well as a better idea of what to expect in the future by establishing causality between specific trigger events and criminal activities. This is where intelligence gathering helps in mapping crime along specific regions in the country.
Be that as it may, digital tracking has been faced with stiff opposition by the masses that see it as an infringement of their fundamental human rights, causing waves of agitation globally. Consequently, the pivot of crime-fighting is now citizen participation in intelligence gathering. This has helped to build a strong relationship between the government and the masses.
Building strong relationships with the public is a major component in community policing and has played a significant role in reducing crime rates. Community-oriented policing inverts traditional and hierarchical policing methods and puts the focus on proactive and collaborative efforts from local police departments and community stakeholders alike. By and large, community-oriented policing has been shown to be highly effective in reducing crime rates and creating a sense of trust and security among citizens.
In Nigeria, there is a disconnect in the relationship between the public and the component in community policing which has been severed by the reported ill-treatment given to those who volunteer security intelligence to security operatives in the past, as well as the alleged sabotage by unscrupulous security personnel who decide to either ignore or hoard security intelligence voluntarily given.
This explains the apparent apathy on the part of the populace to cooperate with security agencies in furnishing them with security intelligence. The article of Bolaji Tunji entitled “No, the Police can’t just be your friend,” published in Daily Sun, Friday 25 August, 2017, sheds more light on the perceived apathy on the part of the populace.
Consequently, the first task in the fight against crime in Nigeria is to overcome this “perceived apathy.” This task must be approached from three complementary perspectives. First, there must be a technology that is flexible and acceptable by the populace to report intelligence. Such technology must create a synergy among all security agencies in Nigeria, that is, the Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, etc. The third point is that reports from such technology must be handled discretely by superior security operatives only, and by order being passed down to junior officers.
This is the only means to re-establish a harmonious relationship between the public and the component of community policing in Nigeria. Being able to understand the unique needs of various neighbourhoods while effectively communicating with citizens of diverse backgrounds is an incredibly important component in strengthening community relationships.
Engr. Ekolama writes from Lagos