Conditions of Service and Effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force

The role of a modern, efficient and effective police force in the political, economic and social development of the Nigerian nation cannot be overemphasized. It is the responsibility of the police to prevent, investigate and detect crimes. Over the years, the perception of the ordinary Nigerian about the police is negative. Not only this, it often goes with vitriolic verbal attacks. It is universally accepted that the strongest motivation in any place of work is proper care or the welfare of the workers. To fail to take good care of workers’ well-being is to create alienation in them. The greatest problem in the police force today is the issue of poor morale. Low morale is the direct result of poor conditions of service. Connected to the issue of poor welfare condition of the police men and officers are such concerns as the deplorable housing, poor communication gadgets and equipments, non-existing or inferior medical services, badly maintained weapons, rickety vehicles, lack of training, poor remuneration, the ragged uniforms and the general poor conditions of service.