Crime prevalence and the value of community policing on human safety and security in Africa

Abstract

Crime undermines human safety and security by destroying trust relations between citizens and police systems in Africa. While all the 55 countries on the continent are characterised with households that vary in income levels, religious or ethnic groups, this has continued to demand policing systems that can engage with all categories of residents, to reduce the prevalence of crime and increase law and order compliance. It also remains to be a precondition to safeguard domestic security through reduced lawlessness and criminal violence against crime victims. This paper introduces insights on how police forces in African Union member states, in collaboration with residents, can introduce crime prevention measures to reduce the likelihood of crime and its impact on victims at the grassroots level. The author develops policy implications regarding how people-driven initiatives can reform policing systems to guarantee safety and security for all. Furthermore, the Crime Preventer Models and Neighbourhood Watch Models are both advanced as approaches to community policing that can facilitate mutual working relations between citizens and police forces in pursuit of human safety and security on the continent.