Victims’ experiences of crime, police behaviour and complaint avenues for reporting police misconduct in Nigeria: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Police-public relations and accountability are issues of global concern. This study makes an original and significant contribution to police policy, practice and programs designed to encourage confidence in the police by exploring victims’ experiences of crime, police responses and avenues for channelling complaints following police misconduct. An interpretative phenomenological analysis and semi-structured interview were adopted to collate data from 24 male and female participants comprising both victims of crime and non-crime but with direct experiences of perceived police misconduct from Delta state, Nigeria. The analysis finds perceived fear, lack of trust and limited awareness of redress avenues following police misconduct. The study recommends a legal-informed cognitive behavioural therapy on the available complaints channel to improve public confidence in the Nigerian police.