EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY DISTRUST ON POLICE EFFECTIVENESS IN COMBATING CRIME IN KADUNA STATE NIGERIA

In addressing crime, the police was carved out as the ideal agency or institution to tackle this menace of crime in the society. This study examined the effects of community distrust on Police effectiveness in combating crime in Kaduna State Nigeria. The research adopted the Structural-functional Theory, the Conflict theory and the Differential Association theory, to elucidate police crime prevention and community distrust. The research applied the mixed method research technique. 370 samples from the 7 Police Area Commands in the state were utilized. The SPSS version 27 was applied, using Simple Linear Regression Technique to test hypothesis, corroborated by thematic analysis of interviews. It found the regression coefficients value of â = -0.391 denotes that, community distrust has a negative and significant effect on the ability of the Nigeria Police Force to combat crimes. Further explanation of the result indicates that, if community distrust increases by one unit, the ability of the Nigeria Police Force to combat crimes will decrease by 0.39 units. The test was found to be statistically significant in line with our theory of structural functional theory. The findings of the study among others reveal that; the study reveals that community trust is foundational to effective policing, with officers stressing that public cooperation is critical for crime detection and prevention. When trust is eroded, citizens are less likely to report crimes or provide vital intelligence. To restore public confidence, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) should institutionalize community policing frameworks that promote consistent dialogue with residents.