Community Policing And Crime Prevention In Edge Cities: Insights From Awutu Senya East Municipality

ABSTRACT The study looks at the concept of community policing (CP) in crime prevention in an edge city such as the Awutu Senya East Municipality (ASEMA). Specifically the research investigated the evolution and institutional arrangements governing CP practices within the municipality, assessed the impact of CP on community safety, crime reduction, fear of crime and risk of victimisation. The study further evaluated the mechanisms employed by the community police in engaging the community in crime prevention and the maintenance of public order. The analysis of questionnaires administered to 120 residents from three different neighbourhoods, namely high income, middle income and low income communities revealed that CP was active in the municipality and its introduction has somewhat reduced crime and fear of crime in the various communities, especially in the low income community. Interviews conducted with some police and municipal assembly officers revealed that edge cities are an outgrowth of the rapid urbanisation process and are deficient in infrastructure, social cohesion and that they lack the ability to negotiate for quality of life and services, which have serious consequences on crime. Further, CP is not specialised function of a single police unit, rather every police officer is trained to carry out the work of CP. Some challenges encountered in implementing CP strategies included poor collaboration between local government agencies and apathy on the part of community to build strong partnership with police as well as limited human capacity and appropriate resources. In the light of these findings the study recommended that there is a critical need to establish a strong relationship with CP, the local government agencies and the entire community. Also, training of the police should be based on specialised instruction in CP and community restructuring at the local level where both formal and informal social control are the main sources of crime. Further the community is to be encouraged to invest in promoting order and security in the various neighbourhoods.