Urban crime trends and patterns in Ghana: The case of Accra

✍ Scribed by Joseph Appiahene-Gyamfi

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2003
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 258 KB
• Volume: 31
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0047-2352
• DOI: 10.1016/s0047-2352(02)00196-4

✦ Synopsis

The study examined the broad crime trends and patterns, and the conditions under which crimes flourish, the crime incidence rates per 1,000 of population, and crime among the four police divisions of Accra, Ghana. Where crimes clustered the most and the times some crimes were committed were examined using the official police data. The study suggests that crime in Accra has been accentuated by rigid centralization of government bureaucracy, the nature of Ghana's economy, routine activities, lifestyles, and opportunities fostered by social change. Overall, the Accra Central Police Division recorded the highest volume of crimes, followed by the Nima, Kaneshie, and Kpeshie Divisions. The highest property offenses were recorded within twelve miles of the city center-the area most congested and heavily concentrated with socio-economic and routine activities. Calls for the adoption of situational crime prevention methods and strategies to reduce the incidence of crime in Accra have been made.