URBAN CRIME AND SAFE NEIGHBOURHOODS : COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

In a globally competitive world where nations look to greater economic investments for prosperity, the level and perceptions of safety within a place affects the level of investments. A community is '"an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location" or "a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society" Community as a concept can be interpreted as a sense of belonging, a way of life, and diversity with a common purpose. The degree of neighbourhood safety (real or perceived) is a major determinant of how people live.

In a 2004 survey results of community perception on the six top issues of Malaysia then, 42% of those surveyed perceived that crime and public safety was the main issue of concern. This was followed by social and moral problems (12 percent and 9 percent respectively).

According to the United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, Malaysia ranks 50 out of 60 countries in terms of total crime per capita. Tackling issues of safety is not just about crime and security. Efforts must be made to generate sustainable neighbourhoods and the communities within them. Creating safe, clean environments, providing quality education for children, maintaining inter-generational ties, the reciprocal exchange of information and services among families, and the shared willingness to intervene on behalf of local safety, all produce a social good that yields positive benefit to all residents - especially children and women. Inevitably this means we have to come to terms with constructive opportunities for conflict resolution in the production of social goods through community participation. It is only by engaging the community in the social affairs of their neighbourhood and eventually the city that problems of safety can be tackled. The paper also looks at the UN's Safe Cities Programme.