ARDHI University
Tanzania has a strong tradition of participatory decision-making processes, and there are several documented cases of community involvement in traditional forms of community participation in crime prevention, like neighbourhood watch groups (sungusungu) and Ward Tribunals. This study aimed at identifying the role of community participation in crime prevention in poor communities in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and check to what extent the existing interventions have been effective.
Members of poor communities in Dar es Salaam perceive themselves as responsible for prevention of crime and violence but lack broader knowledge on how to do it. High crime rates coupled with negative externalities of infrastructure upgrading interventions have contributed to erode social capital, hindering a more effective participation. The UN-Habitat Safer Cities Programme being implemented in Tanzania has made several achievements, but collaboration among different institutions in charge of crime prevention is inadequate. Reforms in the legal framework which regulates relations between different institutions, as well as changes in the urban planning approach towards issues of safety and security are fundamental. Programmes which tackle the root causes of crime are missing and would help to improve the situation, as well as more effective monitoring and evaluation of the existing initiatives in order to ensure its sustainability and adaptability to the constant changes in poor community realities.
Members of poor communities in Dar es Salaam perceive themselves as responsible for prevention of crime and violence but lack broader knowledge on how to do it. High crime rates coupled with negative externalities of infrastructure upgrading interventions have contributed to erode social capital, hindering a more effective participation. The UN-Habitat Safer Cities Programme being implemented in Tanzania has made several achievements, but collaboration among different institutions in charge of crime prevention is inadequate. Reforms in the legal framework which regulates relations between different institutions, as well as changes in the urban planning approach towards issues of safety and security are fundamental. Programmes which tackle the root causes of crime are missing and would help to improve the situation, as well as more effective monitoring and evaluation of the existing initiatives in order to ensure its sustainability and adaptability to the constant changes in poor community realities.
