Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has not only demonstrated the critical role played by the police as first-responders in times of public health emergency, but also revealed the inadequate planning and unpreparedness of most police agencies for pandemic policing. This study sought to investigate the organisational plans and strategies implemented by the Nigeria Police Force for future pandemic policing. Data were primarily collected through 200 semi-structured questionnaires administered to police officers at the headquarters of the Lagos State Police Command (LSPC), selected using a non-proportionate stratified sampling technique. Results showed that the majority of the respondents (56.5 percent) indicated that the Nigeria Police Force is making efforts to enhance the skills and knowledge of its officials by providing professional training and collaborating with public health professionals. Although most of the respondents (49 percent) believed that the health intervention measures incorporated into the police practice were adequate for future pandemic policing, there was a consensus that their organisation’s overall preparedness was threatened by multiple challenges (χ2 = 7.359; P>0.05).