Vigilante Groups and Community Crime Prevention: Evidence fromGombe Metropolis, Nigeria

ABSTRACT:

The paper explored the Role of Vigilante Groups in Crime Prevention in Gombe Metropolis, Gombe State, Nigeria. The objectives of the paper were to identify the roles and origin of Vigilante Groups in crime prevention in Nigeria and specifically in Gombe metropolis, Gombe state. It attempted to identify the various strategies of crime prevention adopted by the Vigilante groups. Challenges affecting the effective roles of the Vigilante groups were identified. Situational Crime Prevention Theory were adopted as the theoretical framework of the paper. The paper recommends that the government should increase its funding to the activities of the Vigilante groups. The literature for this paper were sourced from the secondary data. The paper recommends that the government should closely monitor the activities Vigilante groups in order to reduce the abuse of suspects fundamental rights. Operational tools need to be improved in order to tackle the criminal activities in the Gombe metropolis. Formal security agents should consider Vigilante groups as partners in crime prevention.

Keywords: Vigilantes, Community Policing, Situational Crime Prevention, Gombe, Nigeria.