MULTI-STAKEHOLDER SECURITY GOVERNANCE IN CROSS RIVER STATE: INTEGRATING STATE ADMINISTRATION, COMMUNITY POLICING AND PRIVATE SECURITY OPERATIONS
Keywords:
Multi-stakeholder governance, security administration, community policing, private security outfits and plural policingAbstract
This study examined the operational dynamics between state administrative policies, grassroots community policing in the Southern Senatorial District, and private security firm management in Calabar Metropolis. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach. Empirical data were obtained via standardized questionnaires provided to security actors and citizens, alongside key informant interviews with state security officials, community leaders, and directors of registered private security organizations. The study was conducted across Calabar Metropolis and the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State to evaluate sub-national security administration and inter-agency collaboration. Specifically, the study sought to assess the operational efficacy of state administrative policies, examine community policing in local threat detection, evaluate the capacity and training standards of registered private security outfits, and determine an integrative framework for multi-stakeholder security governance. Respondents agreed that registered private security personnel effectively protect commercial and residential assets in Calabar Metropolis (x=3.16, SD = 0.69), they disagreed that existing training programs for private guards are standardized and comprehensive (x = 2.18, SD = 0.85). Respondents recorded low scores regarding the regular training of private guards in intelligence gathering (x=2.04, SD = 0.82) and strongly disagreed that private security are formally integrated into emergency response (x=1.94, SD = 0.78). The study found that Cross River state needs a synchronized multi-stakeholder governance system to improve security by unifying governmental authority, community intelligence, and private urban monitoring. The research recommended creating a state-level multi-stakeholder security coordination desk, mandating private security joint training, and integrating community intelligence groups into Cross River State securityDownloads
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