Community Perspectives on Public Safety, Loss Prevention, Emergency Management, and Environmental Sustainability in Oron, Nigeria

Smart Acha; Gospel Effiong Isangadighi; Nkechi Blessing Chinedu; Ekeipre Clement; Rabiatu Airede; Blessing Ohinoreimen Ikhide; John Alabo Michael

doi:10.70382/ajaias.v10i2.047

Authors

Smart Acha Department of Climate Change & Environmental Sustainability Emergency, Crisis & Disaster Risk Management Institute, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0479-6582
Gospel Effiong Isangadighi Research Fellow, Department of Library and Information Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7888-3024
Nkechi Blessing Chinedu Department of Industrial Chemistry, Southern Delta University, Ozoro, Nigeria. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7535-6419
Ekeipre Clement Research Fellow, Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Nigeria. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3327-7478
Rabiatu Airede Research Fellow, Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Nigeria. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6260-4711
Blessing Ohinoreimen Ikhide Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State, Nigeria. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8826-7195
Alabo Michael John Mechanical Engineering Department, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9381-5876

Abstract

Public safety, loss prevention, emergency management, and environmental sustainability are significant issues affecting Oron residents in Akwa Ibom State. Community resilience faces threats from increasing crime rates, poor disaster mitigation efforts, and environmental problems. The study investigates public safety alongside crime prevention standards, emergency preparedness measures, and environmental sustainability while pointing out significant policy gaps. The research adopted a descriptive cross-sectional approach while studying 500 participants chosen through Taro Yamane’s sampling method. Trust in law enforcement has been proven to be a significant predictor of police safety perception at β = 0.1599 with p = 0.028, while 62% of respondents showed distrust in police forces. Theft accounted for 40% of all crimes, while fraud totalled 24% of reported offences. Statistics show that disaster readiness amounts to only 24%, while 50% of the population poorly evaluated emergency response from the government. The majority of respondents (78%) favoured strict environmental laws because waste management came in first place (36%) and oil pollution stood second (24%). According to the analysis, strengthening law enforcement units, disaster preparedness programmes, and environmental policies are vital for developing resilience.