1.1 Introduction
The crime prevention efforts of the police are more in the urban areas than rural areas (Muhammad, 2002). Often times, rural crime pattern and rural policing are different from that of urban centers. Crime rate in the rural areas are assumed to be low mainly due to informal socio-cultural means of social control available in the rural areas. The family and religious values shape the norms and values in a rural community than the urban centers where such values have loose impact on people who live individualistic lives rather than community life styles in rural areas (Etuk, 2008). Comparing rural to urban crime is like comparing apple to orange because urban population and multi-cultural nature of city lives make life style independent and complicated. Crime prevention has become an increasingly important component of many national strategies on public safety and security. The concept of prevention is grounded in the notion that crime and victimization are driven by many causal or underlying factors (Unodc, 2021).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background to the Study
In ordinary language, a crime is any unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The act is considered a criminal offence when it is not only harmful to the individuals but to the society or community such as rape, robbery, murder, theft, vandalism, kidnapping etc. Criminal offences are defined by criminal law of every country. Many young people in crime are as a result of poverty, lack of basic education and skills, poor neighborhoods and communities and lack of parental care and bad social influences from bad social interactions. These crimes are mainly committed by unemployed youths who struggle for survival with less education and skill acquisition opportunities in rural areas. There exists higher population of unemployed youths in rural Nigeria than urban areas (Iwayemi, 2013; Asaleye et al., 2018). Data from International victim survey suggests that crime is higher in developing countries than in developed countries Grote and Neubacher (2016).
Rural areas in developing countries are usually characterized by poverty and food insecurity, Grote and Neubacher (2016). The level of poverty is exacerbated by corruption and bad governance. Failure of government to provide adequate security attracts criminals who exploit the poor infrastructure to terrorize innocent rural dwellers. However, according to Ceccato (2016), crime generally tends to be low in rural areas than urban areas of developed countries like United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), and Sweden than urban areas.
This implies that all stakeholders in youth empowerment and development, including governments, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), religious organizations, parents, guardians, and elders have the responsibility to empower youths around them in order to jointly realize the national objective of socio-economic transformation of communities (Oladele, 2003).
According to Chigunta (2002), unless the crises in socio-economic factors, like employment, education, and other institutions, are addressed by the government, the crisis facing contemporary African youths and the communities where they live will remain unresolved and possibly worsen.
Most of the socio-economic factors that affect the empowerment of youths in development programmes are infrastructural facilities, working capital, and standard of education, policy reversals, and systems of taxation, systematic corruption, and violence. They also include mass media, state of the national economy, nature of public institutions, cultural and historical background, gender perceptions/values, family background, social networks and supports, and community structures (Chigunta, 2002).
UN-Habitat (2007) observes the rapid pace of urbanization coupled with the growth in city size and density is associated with increased crime and violence. Poor urban planning, design and management play a role in the shaping of urban environments that put citizens and property at risk. In the forecast of Doyle (2016), it was observed that the world is currently undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history. However, it is widely believed that rapid urbanisation and the marginalisation of specific groups is one of the contributing factors to a rise in organised forms of urban violence (Muggah, 2012).
WHO (2002) opines clearly that over 1.6 million lives are lost each year and countless more damaged in ways that are not always apparent. For everyone who dies as a result of violence, many more are injured and suffer from a range of physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health problems. This shows no country or community is untouched by violence.
The nature and amount of violent crimes vary considerably across countries and regions, according to different contexts, such as their history, social structure and state-society relations (Muggah, 2012). No gainsaying that different types of violence are overlapping and cross-cutting in space and time, from one region to the other, calling for holistic understanding. For instance, ever increasing crime and violence rates are now a key development issue in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for Central American countries (World Bank, 2011).
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Reduction of Occurrence of Crime in Rural and Urban Communities.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
Investigation revealed that crime is any unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The act is considered a criminal offence when it is not only harmful to the individuals but to the society or community such as rape, robbery, murder, theft, vandalism, kidnapping etc. Criminal offences are defined by criminal law of every country. Many young people in crime are as a result of poverty, lack of basic education and skills, poor neighborhoods and communities and lack of parental care and bad social influences from bad social interactions.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Reduction of Occurrence of Crime in Rural and Urban Communities. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the crime challenges common in rural and urban communities.
- To identify crime prevention efforts and strategies by community members and police in rural and urban communities.
- To explore ways of enhancing community participation and engagement in crime prevention and control in rural and urban communities through community policing style.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What are the crime prevention efforts and strategies by community members and police in rural and urban communities?
- What are the ways of enhancing community participation and engagement in crime prevention and control in rural and urban communities through community policing style?
- What are the crime challenges common in rural and urban communities?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant factor instigating the crime in Rural and Urban Communities
- H1: There is a significant factor instigating the crime in Rural and Urban Communities
1.7 Significance of the Study
The study proffers the essence of youth empowerment as measure to eradicating crime in Rural and Urban Communities in Nigeria. This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of the Study
The scope of the study focuses on the Reduction of Occurrence of Crime in Rural and Urban Communities in Nigeria.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Crime: Crime is any unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority .The act is considered a criminal offence when it is not only harmful to the individuals but to the society or community such as rape, robbery, murder, theft, vandalism, kidnapping etc. Criminal offences are defined by criminal law of every country.
