Abstract
The objective of this study on “Public Relations: As A tool of Industrial Harmony. A study of Nigeria Police Headquarters Enugu” look into the internal and external problems of Nigeria police and how the police relations officer has succeeded or failed in resolving problems. Problems such as the welfare of the police, its relationship with the public and how the police manage crowd and crisis in Enugu State. To achieve this, survey research method was adopted with questionnaire as the instrument to elicit responses from the respondents.
Findings drawn from the study revealed positive that police serving in Enugu faces internal and external problems such as poor salary, poor equipments at home and offices, insufficient accommodation, poor medical care and poor relationship with the publics; which makes it difficult for the police to manage crisis due to inadequate information from the publics. The study therefore recommended that police should stop extortion, bribery and corruption, brutality, aiding and abating crimes because of their position in the society. The publics should contribute positively to give vital information to the police to fight against crisis. The Police Public Relations Department should handle the internal and external problems through their cordial relationship with the press. Finally the government should take serious maintenance of the police in their welfare, so that they would take their work seriously…..
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of study
According to the 7th edition of Oxford Advance Dictionary,
“Public Relations is described as the
business of giving the public‟s, information
about a particular organization or person in order to create a good impression.”
Following from the description, the police rely upon the general
public for minimum level of support to
accomplish their mission public
information is very vital to the police, because it is a strongly held
value in our culture that the informed
and educated citizens are the best participants
in democratic government.
Alienation exists because the police and society. Attempts have
been made to bridge that gap between the
police and the citizens. One often hears
police officers say that the Community does not understand the role and how to inter-relate with the community.
In the past, police considered themselves as pure administrative
officer, enforcing law without
discretion. But today police administration
recognizes that discretion is an important role. As a result the
police officer forgets his exact role in
the force, because he uses discretion
method.
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The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) must be skilled in
the management tool POSDCORB, which
means Planning, Organizing, Staffing,
Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting. He does these effectively with the cooperation and
supervision of the State Commissioner of
Police, Deputy Commissioner of police and other senior police officers. Furthermore, the police public relations
officer uses the press to enhance good
relationship between the public‟s and the Nigeria police Enugu.
Before the independence of Nigeria in 1960, public relations
practice was not popular. Economic,
social and political awareness program and activities increased the knowledge of public relations.
Public relations practices were introduced into Nigeria from
Britain through the vehicle of
colonialism. The introduction of public relations practice in Nigeria was done through the initiative of
the colonial government and its obedient
servants. Being and adjunct of journalism, public relations became an important element in public communication
in the colonial days. The pioneers were
already enjoying patronage of the people and those in government. The government felt the need for
another branch of communication which
would convey subtly, its feelings to the people
without really going through the rigors of metal composition of communicative acts, during the Second World
War (1940), the government urge for more
channels of communication. It became more pronounced,
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especially in the need
to present and analyze information about the war. This eventually led the government to establish an
office of information.
The British decided to employ the tactics of public relations
through mobile cinemas, posters,
television programs. These programs were aimed at sensitizing Nigerians on what they were doing
for the benefit of the nation as well as
what the colonialist expected of Nigerians in return.
Since that time, public relations have been recognized as a
profession in Nigeria and in other West
Africa States. In 1949 United Africa Company
became the first company to have public information unit. This is
followed by the establishment of public
relations unit by the Samuel Epelle served as
the first public relations officer.
In 1963, the Nigerian institute of public relation (NIPR) was
established as a regulatory body for PR
practice in Nigeria.
The lack of adequate knowledge of public relations, as a career
and the absence of its programs for
understanding its practice hindered its growth in Nigerian organizations. Until recently when
the Federal Republic of Nigeria
promulgated Decree No. 16 of June, 1990 which upheld the practice
of public relations in Nigeria.
The origin of the Police is a product of social crisis in the
society. The word police is derived from
the Greek word “polis” meaning that part of non
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ecclesiastical administration, having to do with safety and order
of the state. Police work did not start
as a paid profession. It started as a noble,
incorruptible profession with considerable responsibility and
distinction. It was the justice of the peace
system in the society.
The Nigeria, Police began with a thirty-member consul guard formed
in Lagos colony is 1861, a 1,200-member
armed paramilitary Hausa constabulary
was formed.
In 1896 the Lagos police was established. A similar force, the
Niger coast constabulary was formed in
Calabar in 1984 under the newly proclaimed
Niger coast protectorate. In the north, the Royal Niger Company set up
the Royal Niger company constabulary in
1888 with headquarters at Lokoja. When
the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria were proclaimed in the early 1900s, part of the Royal Niger
Company constabulary became the Northern
Nigerian police, and part of the Niger coast constabulary became the Southern Nigeria police. Northern
and Southern Nigeria were amalgamated in
1914, but their police force (NPF) in lagos. During the colonial period, most police were associated
with local government (native
authorities). In the 1960s, under the First Republic, these forces were
first regionalized and then
nationalized.
The 1960 constitution established the Nigerian force as a Federal
force charged with the responsibility
for maintenance of law and order throughout
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Nigeria. The command of the Nigerian police force was under the
Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Those of the regions were under the command of commissioners of
police. Recently the Nigeria Police
Force (NPF) dropped the “force” in its name
and now answers Nigeria Police (Nigeria police is grouped into
departments A-F. “A” department takes
care of administration, personnel-promotion,
dismissal, transfer, posting, medical budgeting, accounts, public
relations and printing. “B” department
to “F” have their own respective duties our
major concern is “A” department where public relations belongs. There
we look into the administration of
police department.