An Exploratory Comparison of the Policing Views of Nigerian and US College Students

Abstract

That the police have the onerous duty of maintaining law and order in society is not in contention; however, the extent to which the public are satisfied with police maintenance of law and order varies from society to society. There has been very little research on views about policing in Nigeria. Based on survey data collected from 758 college students, this exploratory study compares and contrasts college students' views of policing in Nigeria and the USA. The results uncover both intra- and international differences in views on various areas of policing, including general confidence in the police, trust in and support for the police, and specific attitudes toward police civility, effectiveness, accountability, aggressive policing and community policing.