Methodology Workshop on Democratic Policing in Local Communities

CLEEN Foundation carried out a two-day methodology workshop for ten (10) personnel of the Nigeria Police Force of Kubwa Divisional Police Station and thirty (30) members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) Kubwa. The overall objective of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of the beneficiaries on the techniques and relevance of democratic policing in accordance with national, regional, and international standards, and find a lasting solution to the existing distrust between members of the public and the personnel of the Nigeria Police Force which in turn hinders the police from executing its primary duty of protecting lives and properties and curbing crime in the communities.

The training module was divided into five sessions:

1. Procedural Justice.
2. Elements of Democratic Policing,
3. The Human Rights Standards in International and Local Laws,
4. The framework of principles of police service delivery,
5. Measuring Democratic Policing and Principles.

The workshop involved using key indicators in accessing the legitimacy and performance of the police to determine their level of compliance with the standards of democratic policing and the expectations of community members.  Areas of gaps were identified and addressed, and suggestions were proffered on how the police can be more service-oriented and accessible to the community members they serve. Beneficiaries were also exposed to the advantages of trusting the police, cooperating, and collaborating with them through partnership and sharing of vital information useful for security provisioning, reporting crimes on time and availing themselves as witnesses when required to aid investigation.

The workshop met the following outcomes:

1. Better understanding of democratic policing and how beneficiaries can use skills acquired to improve policing in their local communities,
2. Development and use of key principles of democratic policing to strengthen police community relationships,
3. Develop basic understanding of important human rights standards that underpin democratic policing,
4. Develop measures and indicators to give beneficiaries the evidence to assess how well key democratic policing priorities are being achieved in their local communities,
5. Have a grasp on collecting and using information that measure democratic policing in communities,
6. Ability to apply these learning in planning for better policing.