Locational Analysis of Police Stations In Bauchi Metropolis Using GIS Systems

Abstract

Given the security problem in Nigeria particularly in the North, the need for geospatial analysis of security in Bauchi metropolis in relation to police stations cannot be overemphasized. Apart from the prevalence of security problem in the area current analyses are inadequate, almost non-existent. To tackle this problem, Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to take the coordinates of the police stations in the study area, while the attribute data relating to the number of police personnel in each station were collected using interview and documented data. The data were analysed using simple ratio. Also ArcGIS (Version 10.0) software was used to show the map of the distribution. A nearest neighbourhood analysis has shown that the distribution of stations is random in the area. One and two kilometre buffer zones were generated and the result shows that the old city of Bauchi and the eastern part of the metropolis were fully served while the western and southern parts were underserved. The ratio of population in the area to a police is 898:1 which is far below the United Nation recommended figure of 450:1. The work recommends that there is need for population consideration in citing police stations in the area as well as increasing the work force as means for achieving a holistic security for the metropolis.