The Perception of The Police by The Poor: A Case Study of Four Communities in Oyo State - Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The Nigerian Police force is the primary law enforcement agency in Nigeria. It is the first contact that a person has with the criminal justice system. The members of the police force perform so many functions and they deal closely with the people. There is a legal adage which says that “The law is no respecter o f persons". Therefore, during the interaction o f the police with the members o f the public, all persons are expected to be treated equally without regard to sex, age, ethnic group, educational qualification or wealth. 

Furthermore, to enhance the relationship between members of the  public and the police, the police coined an expression that “police is your friend”. The police come into frequent contact with certain classes of people than others in the performance o f certain duties. The poor fall into this class as they come into friction with the police often. For mutual understanding between the police and the public, it is pertinent to examine the truth o f this police saying from the perspective o f the poor. Oyo State is one of the thirty-six States in Nigeria. Being a large Slate, this study is limited to a few communities in Oyo State, where the poor are situated. The poor are defined fa r the purposes o f this paper and are divided into the rural and urban Areas.