A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF POLICE …（比较分析的警察u2026）.pdfVIP

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 11; June 2012 A Comparative Analysis of Police Accountability in Nigeria and United States Olusola Karimu Osunyikanmi, Adebukola Foluke Department of Political Science and Public Administration Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko, Nigeria Abstract The police all over the world are becoming more accountable in the performance of their primary responsibility of crime prevention and control. The paper is an exploratory study and examines the various mechanisms of po lice accountability in United States and Nigeria while also highlighting the importance of police accountability in a democratic society. Through a comparative analysis, the paper argues that police accountability mechanisms are more effective at controlling police power and improving police-community relations in United States compared to Nigeria. The paper posits that the decades of military rule and the overall lack of accountability in all facets of public life in Nigeria have all combined together to weaken the mechanisms for police accountability. The paper therefore concludes that it is important that there should be clear, concise or established standards which should guide the conducts and operation of police in Nigeria. Introduction Despite the fact that police accountability mechanisms differs from one country to another (Stone 2007), yet accountability has become an important element in the discourse of the ground rules for the governance of nations and corporate entities. One of the most rigorous yet broad, definitions of accountab