By Aliyu Umar Aliyu
It is necessary to examine the profession of public relations from the perspective of this discourse. As a management function, it establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationship between an organization and the public on whom its success or failure depends (Cutlip, Center and Broom, 1995).
But when we realize that the concepts public affairs, issues, management and lobbying are aspect of public relations that seek to promote good governance, the public relation has great role to play in ensuring safety and security in a country.
This may be achieved through a two-way communication with the citizens to maintain responsiveness as and mutual understanding. Malison (1994) captures this assertion when he asserts that a popular government without a popular information or means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or tragedy, or perhaps both. And it is through effective public relations efforts that the government and governed can have better understanding.
Public relations have great role to play in assisting the government in ensuring maintenance of law and order, protection of lives and property through inter-territorial integrity of the state from external aggression.
The process of carrying out these functions is not different from other types of public relations. Peace (1994) quite agrees that military-public relation is not different from any other public relations. It is the product only that differs. Public relations practice in the police or military must use the process of Research, planning, implementation and evaluation in carrying out his duties. Such duties may include:
- Keeping the people informed about the security operations of the police and the military in a timely complete and accurate fashion. This is without jeopardizing the security of the nation.
ii. Coordinating the participation of the police and the military in special events and community affairs. Supervising the police and the military communication activities. Handling the media relations of the police and the military. Most defence reporters don’t usually have operations, so it requires continuous training and education.
Meanwhile, national security deals with the protection of lives and property in a country and against external aggression. Some of the factors that may be classified as constituting the national security of any nation are as follows: Domestic security like private property, occupational security at place of work, industrial security at industries, environmental ecological safety and security, transportation security like road safety corps, police security for the protection of lives and property, people’s militant such as vigilante groups or any other forms of security of lives and properties.
It is the combination of all these that form the national security. They work hand in hand to complement each other. The security network is defected where any of the characteristics is ineffective.
Therefore, a public relation has role to play in each of the security network of a country.
What is needed most is the restoration of credibility, image, trust, confidence, respect, efficiency and effectiveness.
Much as national development is a relative term, security PR form a major factor to stimulate progress and development on a state. This is because all the indices of development in a state can only thrive when there is peace, tranquility, freedom of movement, trust in polity, confidence in economy, belief in the leadership, love for nationalism, sense of patriotism.
It is therefore, necessary for all security outfit in a country to employ the services of public relations. Though, intelligent reports are confidential, there are aspects of security information that should be released to the public so as to gain their confidence in the system for their safety.
It will also show that the government cares for their security report actually resulted in the September, 11, 2001 incident in America.
It is imperative for developing world to imbibe the culture of using public relations in its security operations so that there will not be missing links that may threaten the national security. There is no doubt that the existence of any nation depends heavily on its effective security network system and this can only thrive via effective communication between government and those they govern.
There must be two-way communication that can establish, maintain and sustain favourable image with the citizenry.
Government therefore, should allow the security outfit to give public relations knowledge to all cadre of officers and men of the police and armed forces so that they may appreciate the needs of communication flow in the management of national security.
Public relations should be given adequate opportunity to communicate to the public on security aspect of a nation and anything that will cause problem to the national security.
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Aliyu Umar Aliyu is the Head of Strategic Communications, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Abuja.
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