Community-based crime prevention: often effective but needs regulating

Weak criminal justice and policing systems often necessitate the Introduction of complementary, community-based crime prevention models. In Africa, such community models are common, but their effectiveness and legitimacy is the subject of debate. This Policy Brief uses new research by the University of Ibadan to explore these issues in one of Nigeria’s largest metropolitan areas, Ibadan. Community-based crime prevention (CBCP) was found to be prevalent in all 18 communities studied. In many, the CBCP was effective –particularly in those able to deploy a “communitisation” strategy, whereby communities often manage ‘private spaces’, take the lead on representing individuals’ concerns, and support the functions of the state police. At the same time, there are risks that these communitisation strategies can infringe individual human rights. Policies seeking to strengthen community-based crime prevention must be sure to protect human rights without weakening the community associations.