Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

Urban crime and violence: Policy responses
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Box 4.5 Key conclusions from the 2003 Port Moresby survey of people aged 15 to 35, undertaken
for its Safer Cities Programme
The key action points were summarized according to the following
four headings:
Law enforcement:
• Improve professionalism, transparency, effectiveness, efficiency
and accountability in government, police and criminal justice
systems.
• Focus more attention on crime prevention and restorative
justice, and on the re-socialization and rehabilitation of
offenders.
• Link traditional village courts and mediation structures to the
criminal justice system.
• Strengthen coordination among law enforcement agencies.
Community development:
• Improve community access to basic urban services.
• Involve youth and marginalized groups in decision-making.
• Strengthen the family–community–church partnership to
engage youths at risk.
Urban management and planning:
• Principles of safety, convenience and sustainability should be
integral features of a functioning urban environment.
• Improve urban governance through broad-based partnerships.
• Include squatter settlements in planning and management,
including a review of land tenure opportunities.
• Strengthen the participation and coordination capabilities of
the staff involved in planning and management.
Culture and family:
• Promote social cohesion through programmes aimed at
maintaining social harmony.
• Educate communities on the benefits of crime prevention.
• Encourage mediation and conflict resolution at the family
level.
A key need was seen to be the strengthening of institutional capacity.
Further recommendations in this regard included:
• Strengthen the ability of existing institutions to manage urban
safety and security issues.
• Promote public, private and community interfaces to address
safety and security issues.
• Improve the capacity of community groups to prepare and
implement crime prevention action plans.
• Improve coordination of the roles and responsibilities of the
institutions involved in urban safety and security.
Source: Boamah and Stanley, 2007
and a dump for corpses and the carcasses of
stolen cars after their saleable parts were
removed. Now this space is occupied by SESI, a
sports and swimming complex used by local
families, with new high-rise apartments for the
middle class in the background. 46
The case of Diadema illustrates what can be achieved by political
will, sustained commitment to action, effective
partnership, and strong and visible leadership, starting off
from a very poor position where crime and violence were
clearly impeding the progress of the settlement and its
people. Nevertheless, Diadema still has a long way to go
before its homicide rates are down to what would be
regarded as ‘normal’ rates in many other parts of the world.
For example, its 2003 homicide rate of 74 per 100,000
people, while being little more than half the rate that it had
experienced four years previously, was still 50 per cent larger
than that for Greater São Paulo and more than ten times the
rates experienced in many other world cities. 47 Clearly, the
need here is to continue with the sustained commitment to
action that has been exhibited in recent years, and to recognize
that this will need to be seen as a long-term initiative.
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea has several themes in
common with Diadema. Probably the most significant is the
very high crime rates that the city has experienced, particularly
the high levels of violence associated with criminal
activities – 48 per cent of crimes in Port Moresby involve a
high level of violence. The city has a population of over
330,000, which makes it the biggest urban centre in Papua
New Guinea. Its population is characterized by a rapid
growth rate of 3.6 per cent per annum, a high proportion of
migrants, high cultural and ethnic diversity, and a very young
structure. 48 The rapid rate of urban growth, coupled with
inadequate land legislation, has resulted in the creation of
some 40 squatter settlements around the city, which house
about 50 per cent of its population. These areas are regarded
as havens of criminal activity. Another characteristic that
appears to be a significant factor in the city’s experience of
crime and violence is its very high reliance on the informal
economy for employment, given limited opportunities in the
formal sector. This means that young men often have little
experience of employment and resort to other means of
making a living, often in association with gang membership.
Box 4.5 summarizes the key points from a survey of 1500
young people aged between 15 and 35, undertaken in 2003
as part of the process of establishing Port Moresby’s Safer
Cities Programme.
The points summarized in Box 4.5 undoubtedly represent
a huge agenda, and the Port Moresby Safer Cities
Programme is only in the early stages of tackling it. At
present, it can only be seen as a useful case study of what is
involved in establishing a sound basis of understanding in
order for a start to be made in such a difficult situation. But
this is of value in itself because sometimes the process of
making a start can appear bewildering given the nature and
intensity of the problem. Inevitably, the first phase of this
programme has concentrated on the things needed to get it
started and running effectively.