Barriers to community participation in crime prevention in low income communities in Cape Town

Abstract

Community participation in crime prevention has been embraced by anti-crime organizations as a panacea for crime problems. This approach gained its preeminent status after governments realised that law enforcement alone cannot reduce crime without involving communities. This paper provides insight into challenges facing community participation in one of the Cape Town townships. The study employed qualitative method and participants such as ordinary citizens and representatives of anti-crime organizations operating in Khayelitsha were purposively selected. Data was collected using in-depth face-to-face interviews. Key findings show that Khayelitsha residents patrol streets during the night under a neighborhood watch project; and by reporting committed crimes to police or providing police with information on potential crimes, this same community patrol helps decrease potential criminal activities. Community participation in Khayelitsha however, faces some impediments such as poverty among the community residents, and ineffective police response to crimes.