POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS AS MECHANISM FOR IMPROVING POLICE COMMUNITY (IN DUNUKOFIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)
According to Ogbemi (2004:17), “Public Relations has been a terrible victim of misconceptions and misunderstanding”. It has often been mis-understood as publicity, sales promotion, advertising, sales promotion advertising marketing and so on. There is no doubt that they are much related but they are not one and the same thing. It could be described as a combination of all of them and even more.
Akinyemi (1995), believes that “Public Relations is a term that many people do not understand while some are still skeptical about its role in an organization”. Public relations means different things to many people.
Ajala (1993), is concerned with some professionals including students and majority of the general misconceive public relations to be:
- Publicity given to political aspirants, business executives amongs others.
- A series of free meals and gifts for journalists prospective supporters, client and others.
- A simple means of gaining media coverage etc. Ikechukwu Nwosu, exposes his opinion on what public relations is not.
- Public relations is not journalism though it makes use of journalism and journalistic practices.
2.2. USES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public relations is regarded as a pilar of an organization or the key to successful communication between an organization and its public.
As a student or employee, it helps to bring resources and objectives together. A public relations officer is a management staff because the purpose of an organization may not be realized if their mass public apartheid on the organization and its products and services.
Public Relations explain policies activities and plan of any organization to the various public. It is also a guide to management decision making, it relate on things happening by making information available to the internal and external public and acts as a go in between which prevent conflict such as strike action and any form of disruption of work in an organization. Public Relations, helps in organization programmes like anniversary press briefings, parties, opening of news houses, facility visit, scholarship and yearly awards.
2.3. ABUSES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Houses of public Relations practices are not all that much. It is a case of every profession having some bad eggs inside it. As far as these eggs are concerned, public Relation is no exception. Many of these practioners in the state compromise their professions ethics by cutting corner and engaging in dangerous scheming and take actions that put question marks on the authenticity and usefulness of public relations practice in the decentralization of police public relations ass an instrument for improving the police community relations in Dunukofia Local Government Area, Anambra State.
2.4. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
This work is anchored on “social responsibility theory” which believes in the fact that people should be exposed to all kinds of information and all kinds of opinions and then let them decide on their own what they want. This theory therefore imposes on the publics, the obligation to be socially responsible, to see that all sides are fairly represented and that the public has enough information to decide on what they want to read, view or listen to.
Through social responsibility theory, the police force could now be able to manipulate a laid down rules and regulations for the community to read and follow up the instructions while they make sure that they ensure of the community safety, protect their rights and create a good community relation with the publics, safeguarding the rights of individual by serving as watch dog against government e.t.c.
2.5. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES
Empirical is based on, concerned with or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic. It can also be defined as knowledge derived from investigations, observations, experimentation or experience as opposed to theoretical knowledge, based on logical or mathematical assumptions. Empirical research is based on observed and measured phenomena and derives knowledge from actual experience rather than from theory or belief.
Briefly shall be accorded this subsection. Thus, some research works carried out on similar topics are:
“An anatomy of the police relations in contemporary Nigerian was conducted by police inspector Jaja Accraseth”. The report he had at the end, identified three (3) cardinal problems which have almost always become part and brutality, over whelming number also blamed the force for exaggerating evidence in court. Another aspect, not glossed over was the issue of police delaying causes for ulterior motive “come tomorrow”.
Also, in their spirited effort, Newswatch Nose Igiebor at their cover “Police friends or foes?”, said the need for community police relations committee was to check excess of the police and to bridge communication gap between force and the public it serves.
Another field of work carried out on the topic was the one by Okonkwo Cyprain. His report accused the police force of unnecessary of evidence in court, the unnecessary delay in attending to complaints and the corrupt and unfriendly attitude of most policemen.
2.6. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE
Public Relations activities, therefore must strive to fulfil the yearnings of its publics. To sum up from all indications, the police under the publics it serves were suspected to be foes than friends.
Blames of police adducing and abetting crimes are same part, intimidation of innocent citizens by the public, unnecessary arrest, brutality, bribery and corruption are some nejarious activities that become part and parcel of the force. Some citizens, if given some opportunities, would even ask that the force be scrapped off or be replaced. These are fillers received from my respondents.
However, at the end of this study, recommendations or suggestions would be proffer to enhance performance festal dismal image, cause and receipt to operate would be given.
From the premises of these acknowledged view points and analysis of literature, it is obvious that effective, healthy and efficient public relations will help to boost the image of the police community relations in Dunukofia Local Government Area, because the public relations activities must strive to fulfill the yearnings of its publics.
References:
http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/emp
