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Fear of crime and the role of the police
Abstract
Social values such as safety and security needs of members of society are necessary to ensure a sustainable quality of life
for all; guaranteed and protected by the Constitution. If this envisaged tranquility is disturbed or negatively affected by
crime and fear of crime resulting from criminal victimisation, then both crime and fear crime become public concerns. The
study presents two focal points: crime and fear of crime as well as the role of the police, which all exert a significant
influence on the lives of citizens. Criminal victimisation may cause physical harm, feelings of anxiety, emotional instability,
mistrust of the formal control structure, alienation, etc., that promotes fear of crime. Such factors may result in a break of
social cohesion, curtailment of daily activities and withdrawal from society. Policing, on the other hand, personifies social
order and the guaranteed protection of people in a manner consistent with democratic principles. A non-parametric
survey research method, incorporating a closed-structured questionnaire has been implemented to capture data from two arbitrarily selected Eastern Cape samples: Mthatha and Butterworth, primarily to explore and describe perceptions
pertaining to crime, fear of crime and the role of the police in terms of gender (N=300). Gender is an appropriate predictor of fear of crime. Having rated seven selected serious crimes, female respondents are significantly more fearful of criminal victimisation than their male counterparts. Cooperation with the police to report and prevent crime, call upon them in emergency situations, etc., is on a sound footing, with females virtually outnumbering the males in all those functions. This finding is further vouched for by the fact that females had more positive and less negative ‘police contact’
compared to male respondents. Improved police-public relations and dedicated police service delivery will become more and more inevitable.
Keywords: Crime, Police, South Africa
for all; guaranteed and protected by the Constitution. If this envisaged tranquility is disturbed or negatively affected by
crime and fear of crime resulting from criminal victimisation, then both crime and fear crime become public concerns. The
study presents two focal points: crime and fear of crime as well as the role of the police, which all exert a significant
influence on the lives of citizens. Criminal victimisation may cause physical harm, feelings of anxiety, emotional instability,
mistrust of the formal control structure, alienation, etc., that promotes fear of crime. Such factors may result in a break of
social cohesion, curtailment of daily activities and withdrawal from society. Policing, on the other hand, personifies social
order and the guaranteed protection of people in a manner consistent with democratic principles. A non-parametric
survey research method, incorporating a closed-structured questionnaire has been implemented to capture data from two arbitrarily selected Eastern Cape samples: Mthatha and Butterworth, primarily to explore and describe perceptions
pertaining to crime, fear of crime and the role of the police in terms of gender (N=300). Gender is an appropriate predictor of fear of crime. Having rated seven selected serious crimes, female respondents are significantly more fearful of criminal victimisation than their male counterparts. Cooperation with the police to report and prevent crime, call upon them in emergency situations, etc., is on a sound footing, with females virtually outnumbering the males in all those functions. This finding is further vouched for by the fact that females had more positive and less negative ‘police contact’
compared to male respondents. Improved police-public relations and dedicated police service delivery will become more and more inevitable.
Keywords: Crime, Police, South Africa
