IMPACT COMMUNITY POLICING AND INSECURITY IN KEFFI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NASARAWA STATE

Abstract

This study examines community policing and insecurity in Keffi 
Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria, through 
three theoretical lenses: partnership policing and community 
participation, broken windows, and social disorganization 
theories. Together, these frameworks stress that policing is most 
effective when community-driven, preventive, and responsive to 
underlying social conditions. The partnership approach 
underscores collaboration and mutual trust between citizens and 
law enforcement; the broken windows perspective emphasizes 
addressing minor disorder before it escalates; while social 
disorganization highlights the impact of weak institutions, 
unemployment, and instability on crime. A cross-sectional 
design was adopted, with 355 respondents selected through 
multi-stage sampling methods. Data were collected using 
structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and secondary 
sources. Quantitative findings were analyzed with descriptive 
statistics, while qualitative insights were subjected to content 
analysis. The Findings of the study revealed that community 
policing in Keffi has reduced insecurity, particularly where 
collaboration and intelligence sharing are strong. However, 
challenges such as corruption, inadequate logistics, poor 
training, and weak institutional support undermine effectiveness. 
These findings align with the social disorganization and broken 
windows perspectives, which link persistent crime to structural 
weaknesses and unattended minor disorders. The study 
concludes that community policing remains a vital strategy but 
requires government support, proper resourcing, and 
strengthened institutions for sustainability. It recommends 
improved training, provision of modern policing tools, anti
corruption measures, and stronger community–police 
engagement. Overall, genuine partnership and preventive 
strategies are key to sustaining community policing as a pathway 
for reducing insecurity in Keffi and beyond