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Private Security Companies And Crime Prevention
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Human history has always been punctuated with societal concern for security at both the individual and collective levels. This has particularly been the case because security affects people’s livelihood. The privatization of security has now become a global phenomenon (Hyden, 1995). This is the result of a number of factors including general human insecurity, the globalization phenomenon, the privatization of public enterprises, the professionalization of armed and police forces, drive for profit maximization, liberalization of the arms trade, general unending African conflict and the crashing of the twin towers and the pentagon on the 11th of September, 2001 in United States (Holmqvist, 2005). In the contemporary world, the privatization of security has spread throughout the world to an unprecedented level that it is no longer possible to ignore, let alone comprehend (Howe, 1998).
The many types of modern private security outfits available today may be traced to Allan Pinkerton, who founded Pinkerton’s security services in 1850 with the motto “we never sleep†(Schmalleger, 1995). It was also the largest of the private firms headquartered in New York. The Pinkerton Service had a logo which was an open eye, to signify constant vigilance on its office doors. The term “private eye†is thought to have developed from the use of this logo. In another development, Schmalleger (1995) affirmed that Henry Wells and William Fargo built their popularly known Wells Fargo company in 1852 and supplied detective and protective services (private guard and investigator) to areas of West of Missouri.
Thus, much has changed since the early days of private security firms (private policing). Today, services are provided for hospitals, manufacturing plants, communication industries, retirement homes, hotels, casinos, exclusive communities and clubs. Others are nuclear storage facilities and reactors, and many other types of businesses such as information security that aid the protection of personnel.
Following a history of private guards and security practice in Nigeria which could be traced to royalty, religion, social class or pedigree; the practice of private security gradually attracted a deserved attention when it became commercialized and obviously conflicted with the social contract idea which states that only the state is capable of arrest and punishment (Kuna, 1999). Thus, it became imperative that the practice had to be regulated within the confines of duty, definition and laws. For instance, security in the traditional Nigerian society squarely lay with the immediate and extended families; hence any member of the family that violates any of the norms was in danger of being ostracized by the group until reparations and necessary purification and cleansing rituals were undertaken by the family (Igbo, 2007).
Thus, changes have taken place from the traditional Nigerian societies to the present as a result of ‘modernisation’. These changes occasioned the encroachment of western institutions on moral standards of the society which has implications for general life and security particularly on Nigerians. Other factors include urbanization, formal education and capitalist economic system. As a result a range of crimes emanated quite different from what was known in the traditional society, which may require more sophisticated security approach. Some of these crimes include murder, theft, assault, and suicide, pick pocketing, drug abuse, counterfeiting, fraud, forgery, smuggling, unlawful possession of dangerous weapons, prostitution, white- collar crime, advanced fee fraud (419) corruption, rape, and a host of others which are all prevalent in modern Nigeria(Ebbe, 1981 cited in Igbo, 2007).
Thus, Ochefu and Idrees (2002), posited that, the Nupes and Gwagyis who are predominant groups in Niger state with migrant Hausas’ prevent crimes through proper socialization of the young ones i.e application of communal approach to socialization, instilling of the fear of pain in punishment...later, other prevention measures include the organization of the Dogarai (local police), the Ninety (90) days cleansing fast as reparation; Others include the use of scarecrows, charms and fetish materials and the use of Ndakogboya or Kuti (Masquerade) popularly known among the Nupes.
Also, according to Igbo (2007), the end of the civil war witnessed not only the return of old criminals to the street; but also the ‘graduation’ of new and more sophisticated ones’. This singular assertion indicates that the current state of security network in the country may be under serious threat as crime waves continue to rise unabated.
The most recent of the threats to security in Nigeria is the emergence of kidnapping and terrorism which have been enhanced by the widespread use of firearms by criminals. This indeed facilitated the modus operandi of these criminals, thereby enhancing complete change in criminal activities as cases of aircraft hijacking and assassinations of prominent Nigerians and bomb explosions in various corners of the country became rampant.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
Page 1 of 4
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