THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ISSN: 0331-4111 e-ISSN: 2736-075X
Volume 24, No. 1, June 2026
Pages 146-159
DOI: 10.36108/NJSA/6202.42.0190
Analysis of Human Capital Development and Effective Policing by the Nigerian Police
Maryam Umar Mohammed
Department of Sociology, Kaduna State University, Kaduna, Nigeria
Abstract
The core functionality of policing is law enforcement. There are criteria that make possible effective law enforcement. One core criterion is harmonious police-community relations. Inharmonious police-community relations on the other hands generate ineffective law enforcement. Inharmonious police-community relations have been observed in Nigeria. This paper examines the nexus between poor human capital development and inharmonious police-community relations in Nigeria. Related literatures were reviewed and theory of role allocation and performance was the explanation tool. Using questionnaire and in-depth interview guide, data were collected from 400 respondents and 4 in-depth interviewees. The result shows there are inharmonious police-community relations in the study area. The root cause is personal interest over social interest in the human capital development in the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the consequences are majorly negative as it mostly hinders crime preventions. To control the inharmonious police-community relations, the functional law of inequality must be applied.
Keywords: Human Capital Development, recruitment, policing, Police-Community Relations