PRIVATE SECURITY AND CRIME PREVENTION IN MAIDUGURI

Human history has always been punctuated with societal concern for security at both the individual and collective levels. This has particularly been the case because security affects people's livelihood. The privatization of security has now become a global phenomenon (Hyden, 1995). This is the result of a number of factors including general human insecurity, the globalization phenomenon, the privatization of public enterprises, the professionalization of armed and police forces, drive for profit maximization, liberalization of the arms trade, general unending African conflict and the crashing of the twin towers and the pentagon on the 11th of September, 2001 in United States (Holmqvist, 2005). The following research questions are formulated to guide the study: How were the security needs of the people in Niger state provided during the traditional era? What factors necessitated the establishment of PSCs? How effective are these PSCs in their security functions? What are their major constraints in carrying out these functions? What are the strategies for overcoming these constraints in order to make them more efficient, What is the relationship between PSCs and the Police and Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled. According to Singleton & Straits, (2009), Survey research can use quantitative research strategies (e.g., using questionnaires with numerically rated items), qualitative research strategies (e.g., using open-ended questions), or both strategies (i.e., mixed methods). As it is often used to describe and explore human behavior, surveys are therefore frequently used in social and psychological research. With respect to the analysis and the findings of this study, the following conclusions emerged; Private security has come to stay not only in Nigeria but globally. They have assumed a very vital role in the security provisioning in the country. The growth of private security companies has been driven by the ever- increasing insecurity, inadequate police presence and the growth of enclosed estates in springing up across the length and breadth of the nation. They have become an area of business activity with great potential for profitable reward and investment, providing a variety of security and allied services that have impacted directly on the lives and property of their clients. Private security companies will develop better in crime control duties and reduction of fear of criminal victimization if competent persons, are recruited, adequately trained and properly motivated and equipped for security duties especially if adequate, workable and proper efforts are geared towards improving the private security sector.