ASSESSMENT OF CRIME PROLIFERATION AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SULEJA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Security is the most fundamental need of human beings. There are several interrelated domains of security – physical, emotional, social, economic and political. Urban security issues cover areas of security of lives and properties, healthy security, food security, economic security, protection from natural and man-made hazards among others. This study examined the level of people’s consciousness of their security, safety and coping strategies against crime in Suleja, examine the incidences of crime in the study area, examine the level of safety consciousness of the people in the study area and evaluate the coping capacity of the people and the strategies for crime prevention in the area and also map out crime hotspot areas in the area. Quantitative techniques which involve the use of both primary and secondary data. Questionnaire were administered and response were subjected to descriptive statistics analysis, Geospatial techniques was also used to mapout crime hotspot areas. The study revealed that 46.9% of the residents in the study area have experienced one form of crime or the other in the last one year. Armed robbery accounts for 28.8% of crime followed by burglary (49.4%), Snatching of cars accounts for 0.8% and others 21.0%. The study also revealed that 35% of crimes in the area were caused by drug abuse, unemployment (39.2%), poverty (23.5%) and others accounts for 2.3%. The effects of the crime according to the findings were loss of valuables 57.7%, injury and death (10.8%), economic loss (14.0%), fear (17.3%) and others (0.2%). the study thereby recommended that employment opportunity should be created, since unemployment recorded the highest of the causes of crime in the area. Provision should be made for skills acquisition where people will be trained to become self-reliant and job creators rather than job seekers.