A professor in the Department of History at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Kemi Rotimi, has described community policing as a scam.
The scholar averred that talks about such policing gain momentum in Nigeria whenever there are funds from donor agencies that believe in the security of the lives and properties of citizens.
He said this on Channels Television’s show Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, insisting that there is no serious talk about community policing in the country.
“When Nigeria Force Headquarters chiefs talk about community policing, if I call it a scam, I won’t be too wrong,” he said.
“For so many years, we have been mouthing and touting community policing; the noise will be deafening whenever there is donor agency money.
“The moment the donor agency money dries up, the noise will go down. In the last two years, have you noticed that we have not heard much about community policing?
“The Nigeria Police Force, as constituted, cannot be community policing. Why? The rapid turnover of staff—the staff deployment nature of the Nigeria Police Force—does not amount to community policing.
“Community policing, as a matter of fact, is not a programme; it is a philosophy that should undergird and be instilled into policing while training personnel.”
