Social crime prevention in South Africa: A neglected policy mandate

Abstract

This article examines municipalities on implementation and coordination of social crime prevention programmes in addressing social issues. The White Paper on Safety and Security (1998) clearly proposed that local government should be responsible for implementing and coordinating social crime prevention programmes within areas of concern. Therefore, it is argued that the provincial government is closest to citizens and inimitably placed to contribute to social crime prevention initiatives and readdress the delivery of services to deal with crime prevention successfully. There is little information about this matter in South Africa. This article will reveal the challenges municipalities and the department of social development face on social issues. There seems to be a repetition of social programmes in addressing social issues and there are no programmes targeting youth at risk, juvenile delinquency and child-headed households’ issues. The study concludes that the municipalities should consider the review in social crime prevention strategies to better align its programmes to the provincial mandates. Municipalities should further demonstrate regularly how it responds to social issues that might perpetuate the crime rate. 

Keywords: {'name': 'Crime, Society, Risk, Social Crime Prevention, Coordination.'}

Authors & affiliations

Kholofelo Rakubu
Affiliation not supplied

Mmakwena Modipa
Affiliation not supplied

Eugy Chauke
Affiliation not supplied

Deposited references

Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.

DOI: 10.1177/1477370814538776

Atbeker, A. (2007). A country at war with itself: South Africa’s crisis of crime. Johannesburg: Jonathon Ball.

DOI: 10.3138/cjccj.47.2.389

Babbie, E. & Mouton, J. (2012). The Practice of Social Research. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195341966.001.0001

Brynard, D.J., Hanekom, S.X. & Brynard, P.A. (2014). Introduction to Research. 3rd Edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik publishers.

Bruce, D., & Gould, C. (2009). The war against the causes of crime: Advocacy for social crime prevention in the face of tougher law enforcement. South African Crime Quarterly, No. 30. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies.

Bruce, D., Newham, G., & Masuku, T. (2007). In service of the people's democracy – An assessment of the South African Police Service. Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, 108-111.

Crawford, A. (2009). Crime prevention policies in comparative perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

De Vos, A.S., Strydom, H., Fouche, C.B. & Delport, C.S.L. (2011). Research at Grass Roots for the Social Sciences and Human Profession, 3rd Edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.

De Vos, A.S., Strydom, H., Fouche, C.B. & Delport, C.S.L. (2011). Research at Grassroots: For the Social Sciences and Human Service Professions, 4th Edition. Pretoria: Van Schaik Publishers.

Denzin, K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (2011). The sage handbook of qualitative research, 4th Edition. Los Angeles: SAGE publications.

DOI: 10.1023/A:1014628810714

DOI: 10.3138/cjccj.47.2.427

DOI: 10.4135/9781412964500

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-13027-9

Hastings, R. (2006). Crime Prevention and Youth at Risk: The Problem of Resistance to Change. Paper Presented to the 16th Conference of the International Association for Research in Juvenile Criminology, Page 1-19.

Jones, S.T. & Compton, R.O. (2003). Kids Working It Out: Stories and Strategies for Making Peace in Schools. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.

Masuku, S. & Maepa, T. (2004). City Safety: Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality’s Crime Reduction Strategy. Monograph No 103. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies.

Lue-Dugmore, M., Van der Spuy, E. & Rontsch, R. (2008). Challenges Confronting Social Crime Prevention within the Cape Town Metropolitan Police Department. Research Report Written for the Centre of Criminology. Cape Town: University of Cape Town.

Maple, J. & Mitchel, C. (2000). The Crime Fighter: How You Can Make Your Community Crime-Free. Florida, FL: Bantam Dell Publishers.

National Institute for Crime Prevention and the reintegration of Offenders (NICRO). (2006). Available on: http://www.nicro.org.za/. Accessed 18 Jun 2009.

Palmary, I. (2001). Social Crime Prevention in South Africa’s Major Cities. Report Written for the Centre of Violence and Reconciliation, June.

Palmary, I. (2002). Shifting Safety Agendas: Crime Prevention in Major Cities. Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies.

Palmary, I. (2003). Youth Position Paper Prepared for the Crime Prevention Alliance. Paper presented at the Alliance for Crime Prevention Conference. Pretoria, December.

Palmary, I. & Moat, C. (2002). Preventing Criminality Amongst Young People. A Resource Book for Local Government, December.

DOI: 10.1080/15614260802264578

Shweta, D. (2009). Crime justice and society, an introduction to sociology. New Delhi: MD Publications.

DOI: 10.4172/2151-6200.1000384

Telep, C., & Weisburd, D. (2012). What is known about the effectiveness of police practices in reducing crime and disorder? Police Quarterly, 20(10), 1–27.

UN-HABITAT. (2007). UN HABITAT for Safer Cities. Safer Cities Programme Nairobi : UN HABITAT.

White Paper on Safety and Security (1998). Pretoria: Department of Safety and Security.

Woolford, A. & Ratner, R.S. (2007). Conflict Resolution in Mediation, Restorative Justice and Reparation. Vancouver: Routledge-Cavend