Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Perceptions of crime hot-spots and real locations of crime incidents in two South African neighbourhoods

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Security Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

South Africa is characterised by high levels of crime and fear of crime that manifests in various ways at a local community level. The fear of crime is influenced by levels of social and physical disorder and the nature of the built environment, while the actual crime incidents are influenced by the land-use patterns and presence of specific built environment elements such as the railway line. This paper explores the specific crime patterns and fear of crime in two neighbourhoods, Queenswood and Kilner Park, in the north-east of the City of Tshwane. The findings show that despite relatively high numbers of crime, and contrary to the view of law enforcement agents in the area, most community members do not display high levels of fear of crime. In addition, the use and avoidance of places in the neighbourhood do not always relate to the local crime hot-spots.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Source: Snyders, E. 2015 ex Villieria Police Precinct Data

Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The definitions of crime are not universal and as such it is useful to also highlight the UK equivalent of the crimes mentioned to clarify this to a more international and UK audience. The UK equivalent of the following South African crimes is provided in brackets: theft out of motor vehicles (theft from a vehicle), house robberies (robbery of personal property), carjacking (aggravated vehicle taking), stock theft (wildlife offences), residential burglaries (burglary in a dwelling) (User Guide for Crime Statistics in England and Wales 2015, pp. 104–109).

  2. Passive surveillance refers to the casual observance of public spaces by its users, while active surveillance refers to the police or other law enforcement agents, whose function is to police areas, watching public spaces. Visibility is the degree to which the environment is made visible through lighting etc. Territoriality refers to a sense of ownership which is encouraged when users or residents identify with particular spaces. Certain types of criminal actions can either be facilitated by easy access or escape routes, while at the same time this may assist potential victims to escape to safety. Finally, target gardening reduces the attractiveness of vulnerability of potential targets through the strengthening of building facades or boundary walls (Kruger et al. 2001).

  3. Community Police Forums in South Africa refer to community organisation to enable improved community–police relations and facilitate communication between the police and the community. It is a legal structure established in terms of the South African Police Service Act and members are elected during formal election processes (Community Safety Forums Policy).

References

  • Abdullah, A., M.H. Marzbali, A. Bahauddin, and M.J.M. Tilaki. 2015. Broken Window and Collective Efficacy: Do They Affect Fear of Crime? 1–11. New York: SAGE Open.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, A. 2015. GIS Specialist.

  • Bannister, J., and N. Fyfe. 2001. Introduction: Fear and the City. Urban Studies 38 (5–6): 807–813.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brantingham, P.L., and P.L. Brantingham. 1993. Nodes, Paths and Edges: Considerations on the Complexity of Crime and the Physical Environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology 13 (1): 3–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breetzke, G.D., K. Landman, and E.G. Cohn. 2014. Is it Safer Behind the Gates? Crime and Gated Communities in South Africa. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment 29: 123–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryman, A. 2008. Social Research Methods, 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldeira, T.P.R. 2000. City of Walls: Crime, Segregation and Citizenship in Sao Paulo. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceccato, V. 2012. The Urban Fabric of Crime and Fear, 3–33. London: University of New York.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ceccato, V., and A. Newman. eds. 2015. Aim, Scope, Conceptual Framework and Definitions. In Safety and Security in Transit Environments: An interdisciplinary approach, 3–22. Basingstoke: Palgrave Mcmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R.V. 1995. Situational Crime Prevention. In Building a Safer Society: Strategic Approaches to Crime Prevention, ed. M. Tonnry, and D. Farrington. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J.W. 2009. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowe, T.D. 2000. Crime Prevention through Environmental Design. London: Butterworths.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Kock, C. 2015. The 2014/2015 Crime Statistics – hope or despair. Servamus 13: 10–13.

  • Domingo-Swarts, C., and B. Holtmann. 2008. Current Trends and Responses to Crime in South Africa. In Crime, Violence & Injury Prevention in South Africa: Data to Action, South Africa: Medical Research Council – University of South Africa Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme, eds. A. Van Niekerk, S. Shahnaaz, and M. Seedat. Trends and Responses.

  • Ekblom, P. 2011. Deconstructing CPTED and Reconstructing It for Practice, Knowledge Management and Research. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 17 (1): 7–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekblom, P. 2013. Redesigning the Language and Concepts of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. Reconstructing CPTED. Paper presented at the 6th Ajman International Urban Planning Conference: City and Security, March, Ajman.

  • Garofalo, J. 1981. The Fear of Crime: Causes and Consequences. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 72 (2): 839–857.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, Victoria, and Derek Johnson. 2016. CPTED, but not as we know it: Investigating the conflict of frameworks and terminology in crime prevention through environmental design. Security Journal 29 (2): 256–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Innes, M. 2004. Crime as a Signal, Crime as a Memory. Journal for Crime, Conflict & the Media 1 (2): 15–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iqbal, A., and V. Ceccato. 2015. Does Crime in Parks Affect Apartment Prices? Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention. 16 (1): 97–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, J. 1961. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Random House, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelling, G.L., and C.M. Coles. 1997. Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities. New York: Touchstone.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruger, T. 2005. Building Safer Communities-Reducing Crime Through Environmental Planning and Design. XXXIII IAHS. World Congress on Housing. Transforming Housing Environments Through Design. September 27–30. Pretoria.

  • Kruger, T., and K. Landman. 2003. Living in an Enclaved Society: Practical Impact of Environmental Design. Paper delivered at the Institute for Municipal Law Enforcement of Southern Africa (IMLE) Conference, “The Reality of Law Enforcement: Facing common challenges to ensure Local Governance”, 30–31 October 2003, Pretoria.

  • Kruger, T., and K. Landman. 2008. Crime and the Physical Environment in South Africa: Contextualising International Crime Prevention Experiences. Built Environment 34 (1): 75–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kruger, T., K. Landman, and S. Liebermann. 2001. Safer by design: A manual for crime prevention through planning and design. Pretoria: CSIR Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kyle, G., and G. Chick. 2007. The Social Construction of a Sense of Place. Leisure Science 29: 209–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landman, K. 2009. Boundaries, Bars, and Barricades: Reconsidering the Approaches to Crime Prevention in the Built Environment. Journal of Architecture and Planning Research 26 (3): 213–227.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landman, K. 2012. Reconsidering Crime and Urban Fortification in South Africa. In Urban Fabric of Crime and Fear, ed. V. Cecatto, 239–264. London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loader, I., R. Sparks, and E. Girling. 2001. Fear and Everyday Urban Lives. Urban Studies 38 (5–6): 885–898.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorence, T., S. Clayton, D. Nearby, M. Whitehed, M. Petticrew, H. Thomson, S. Cummis, A. Sowden, and A. Renton. 2012. Crime, Fear of Crime, Environment, and Mental health and Wellbeing: Mapping Review of Theories and Causal Pathways. Health and Place 18: 757–765.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mistry, D. 2004. Falling Crime, Rising Fear: 2003 National Victims of Crime Survey. South Africa Crime Quarterly 8: 17–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasar, J.L., and B. Fisher. 1993. ‘Hot Spots’ of Fear and Crime: A Multi-Method Investigation. Journal of Environmental Psychology 13: 187–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newman, O. 1972. Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design. London: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pain, R. 2000. Place, Social Relations and the Fear of Crime: A Review. Progress in Human Geography 24 (3): 365–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pain, R., and Alexander, C. 2011. Urban security: Whose security? Everyday responses to fears. In The Urban Fabric of Crime and Fear, ed. V. Ceccato. New York and London: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perkings, D.D., J.W. Meekst, and R.B. Taylort. 1992. The Physical Environment of Street Blocks and Resident Perceptions of Crime and disorder: Implications for Theory and Measurement. Journal of Environmental Psychology 12: 21–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitner, R.O., M. Yu, and E. Brown. 2012. Making Neighbourhoods Safer: Examining Predictors of Residents’ Concerns About Neighbourhood Safety. Journal of Environmental Psychology 32: 43–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, B. 2008. Age of hope or anxiety? Dynamics of fear of crime in South Africa. HSRC Policy brief. Accessed on 6 June 2016 at http://www.hsrc.ac.za/uploads/pageContent/1089/Age%20of%20hope%20or%20anxiety.pdf.

  • San-Juan, C., L. Vozmediano, and A. Vergara. 2012. Self-Protecting Behaviors Against Crime in Urban Settings: An Empirical Approach to Vulnerability and Victimization Models. European Journal of Criminology 9 (6): 652–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scarbrough, B.K., T. Like-Haislip, K.J. Novak, W.L. Lucas, and L.F. Alarid. 2010. Assessing the Relationship Between Individual Characteristics, Neighborhood Context, and Fear of Crime. Journal of Criminal Justice 38 (4): 819–826.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schweitzer, J.H., J.W. Kim, and J.R. Mackin. 1999. The Impact of the Build Environment on Crime and Fear of Crime in Urban Neighborhoods. Journal of Urban Technology 6 (3): 59–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • South Africa. 1996. Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

  • South Africa. 2010 National Outcomes Approach. Measurable Performance and Accountable Delivery. Outputs and Measures: Outcome 3.

  • South Africa. 2011. National Planning Commission. National Development Plan Vision for 2030.

  • United Kingdom. 2015. User Guide for Crime Statistics in England and Wales. Newport: Office for National Statistics (UK).

  • Yavuz, N., and E.W. Welch. 2010. Addressing Fear of Crime in Public pace: Gender Differences in Reaction to Safety Measures in Train Transit. Urban Studies 47 (12): 2491–2515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zinn, R. 2010. Home Invasions: Robbers Disclose What You Should Know. Cape Town: Tafelberg Publishers Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Town and Regional Planning, University of Pretoria, Building 8, South Campus, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

    Elsa Snyders & Karina Landman

Authors
  1. Elsa Snyders
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karina Landman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karina Landman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Snyders, E., Landman, K. Perceptions of crime hot-spots and real locations of crime incidents in two South African neighbourhoods. Secur J 31, 265–284 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41284-017-0099-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41284-017-0099-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation