Tinubu approves recruitment of 180,000 police officers

Ibrahim Gaidam, the minister of police affairs in Nigeria, has said President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 30,000 police officers annually for the next six years.

The number totals 180,000 in six years.

Gaidam spoke on Saturday when he visited the Nigeria Police Academy in Wudil, Kano state, during the screening exercise of recruits.

The minister said the federal government is committed to transparently recruiting more police officers.

Gaidam said the annual recruitment of police officers is part of the government’s commitment to ensuring Nigeria has enough personnel to address the prevailing insecurity.

“The number of police being recruited, 10,000, is not enough to cover all the states, so the president has given approval for the recruitment of 30,000 policemen annually for the next five to six years,” he said.

“I believe if this is done, by the end of the year, we should be able to get enough number of policemen to take care of our security challenges in this country.”

In August 2023, Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), said Nigeria must recruit an additional 190,000 officers to secure the country adequately.

Nigeria’s current police strength is just over 370,000 officers, which is insufficient based on a ratio of one officer to about 600 citizens.

The UN-recommended ratio is one officer to almost 450 citizens.

Exploring the stats

The United Nations recommends a police-to-citizen ratio of 1:450, a benchmark that serves as a guiding principle for countries to ensure adequate policing and maintain law and order.

This ratio is based on research by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which suggests that a ratio of 1:450 is sufficient to provide effective policing and maintain public safety.

According to the UNODC, countries with police-to-citizen ratios below 1:450 tend to have higher crime rates and lower levels of public trust in law enforcement.

Conversely, countries with ratios above 1:450 tend to have lower crime rates and higher levels of public trust.

Data from the UNODC shows that many countries fall short of the recommended ratio.

For example, in 2020, the police-to-citizen ratio in Nigeria was 1:624, while in South Africa it was 1:538.

In contrast, countries such as Iceland and Finland have police-to-citizen ratios of 1:242 and 1:276, respectively.

Meeting the UN-recommended ratio can have significant benefits for public safety and crime prevention.

For example, a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that a 10% increase in the police-to-citizen ratio can lead to a 3-5% reduction in crime rates.

In conclusion, the UN-recommended police-to-citizen ratio of 1:450 is a crucial benchmark for ensuring adequate policing and maintaining law and order.

Countries that fall short of this ratio may experience higher crime rates and lower levels of public trust in law enforcement. By prioritizing investments in policing and striving to meet the UN-recommended ratio, countries can improve public safety and reduce crime rates.

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