Having discussed the findings of the present study, it is necessary to make some
recommendations generated from these findings for the purpose of policy making. Police all
over the world have similar problems, but the nature of these problems and the manner in
which they appear may depend on the socio-political and economic setting within a given
society. We shall take the recommendations under the following sub-headings.
Improving manpower and conditions of services: There is a need to recruit more men into the
police in order to cope with the increasing crime rate and to ensure better protection for the
citizens. Regular street patrols, which featured prominently in the colonial days and shortly
after independence have stopped, apparently due to insufficient manpower. It is important to
note that regular street patrols continue to remain a big part of the crime prevention and
control strategies of elite police departments in developed societies such as City of New York
Police Department (NYPD). Improving the strength of the agency should make it possible
for the police to respond promptly and effectively to the needs of the citizens. It is therefore,
strongly suggested that the quota system should be stopped so as to allow the agency to
recruit up to its established strength. If a state cannot fill its quota, no harm is done if men
and officers are recruited from other states.
The conditions of service in the police are unsatisfactory. In the first place, the present salary
structure is undesirable particularly when it is related to the rate of inflation in the country.
This is the more reason why relevant authorities including the Police Service Commission
(PSC) should ensure that police men and officers continue to enjoy regular increment in
remuneration and salaries commensurate with inflation rate in the country. Some policemen
live in poorly equipped and dilapidated barracks, while majority lives among the civilians in
low level rented apartment without basic amenities. In most cases the barracks have been
converted to offices as a result of inadequate office space. This situation tends to affect the
general morale of the police and also the performance level.
Efforts should be made to build more barracks and provide accommodation for policemen. In
addition, the conditions of service should be improved upon. This is necessary if we are
working towards a new regime in the police. It is a common knowledge that corruption exist
in the agency. There is no doubt that until the welfare condition of police in Nigeria is
substantially improved, efforts at reducing corruption among the men and officers of the
agency will not be successful while it would also be difficult to get the best out of the agency.
Other measure to improve the conditions of services of the policemen according to the
respondents include the payment of overtime (as obtained in other police agencies such as the
City of New York Police Department in the United States) and other allowance like special
duties immediately as they are incurred, as well and payment of reasonable compensation on
account of injured and dead corpse. Respondents also suggested that government should
intensify efforts to see to the achievement of the insurance scheme for the police because of
the nature of their job. These measure which are aimed at improving the welfare and
European Journal of Research and Reflection in Arts and Humanities Vol. 3 No. 1, 2015
ISSN 2056-5887
Progressive Academic Publishing, UK Page 36 www.idpublications.org
conditions of services of policemen should motivate them to give their best to achieving the
goals of the agency