Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

56
Urban crime and violence
Burglary is the most
common property
crime connected to
local built
environmental and
design features
Figure 3.7
Percentage of
respondents stating
that they ‘feel unsafe
walking home at night’
Source: Nuttall et al, 2002, p40
Brazil
South Africa
Bolivia
Botswana
Zimbabwe
Colombia
Tanzania
Paraguay
Costa Rica
Argentina
Australia
Catalonia (Spain)
Poland
Uganda
Indonesia
Portugal
England and Wales
Tunisia
Barbados
Japan
China
Scotland
France
Switzerland
Northern Ireland
Belgium
Netherlands
Denmark
Finland
Egypt
Canada
Philippines
Sweden
US
India
data reveals that more than half of the citizens worry about
crime all the time or very often. 38 A national survey
conducted in South Africa found that about 25 per cent of
respondents indicated that concerns about crime prevented
them from starting their own businesses and interfered with
everyday transportation decisions. 39 Likewise, a World Bank
study in Zambia uncovered significant fear of crime that
manifested itself in the work decisions of teachers. 40 In
Lagos (Nigeria), 70 per cent of respondents in a city-wide
survey were fearful of being victims of crime, while 90 per
cent were fearful of the prospect of being killed in a criminal
attack. 41
Figure 3.7, based on ICVS and United Nations data,
depicts the responses of people from 35 developing and
industrialized nations when asked how safe they felt walking
home at night. It is obvious that although the fear of crime is
pervasive, it is also extremely variable, with the highest
levels of fear reported being in Brazil, where 70 per cent of
respondents felt unsafe walking home at night, and the
lowest in India, with 13 per cent. Latin American and
African nations rank among the top ten. Regionally, the fear
of crime and violence tends to correlate with police-recorded
crime and victimization surveys of crime and violence.
Robbery
Robbery may be defined as the taking of property through
the use of violence or threat of violence. 42 Primarily a
contact crime, robbery is often classified as both a violent
0 20 40 60 80 100
crime and a property crime in many jurisdictions.
Consequently, it is more likely to be reported to police than
lesser crimes. Robbery is a major security threat and a
special concern in developing countries. This is because it
not only results in injury and property loss to victims, but
also increases the general fear of crime. 43
Figure 3.8 suggests that global robbery trends have
increased between 1980 and 2000 from about 40 incidents
per 100,000 individuals to over 60. Data for Eastern Europe,
Latin America and Africa (primarily from South Africa) is
grouped into ‘Selected countries with high robbery rates’. 44
North America witnessed a remarkable decline from 200 per
100,000 recorded cases in 1992 to about 120 in 2000.
Victimization rates for robbery based on United Nations
survey results are presented in Figure 3.9. It shows much
higher rates for robbery in Latin America and Africa than in
other regions of the world. Although of a shorter period, it
corroborates the information presented in the policereported
data.
Figure 3.10, based on Crime Trends Survey data,
shows that South America has the highest robbery rates,
with 442 incidents per 100,000 individuals. This is followed
by Southern Africa, with 349 cases. The regions with the
lowest rates of robbery are South Asia and the Middle East,
with 3 and 2 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively.
Although the findings are generally comparable, some
differences between this data can be attributed to collection
procedures and differences in the specificity of the various
sub-regions. As noted earlier, victimization surveys tend to
yield more reliable data, especially when compared to police
reports that depend upon the willingness of victims to come
forward.
Burglary
Although often targeted against vehicles, burglary is the
most common property crime connected to local built
environmental and design features. It may be generally
defined as the unlawful entry into someone else’s property
with the intention to commit a crime. Like other crimes, the
elements that constitute a burglary are different across the
world. For example, in some localities, theft from a car
would not be considered a burglary. In other places, the
required elements of a burglary include forced entry or the
taking of property, whereas other jurisdictions do not have
these requirements. High burglary rates have implications
for neighbourhoods, cities and nations. Commercial and
residential properties are frequent targets for burglaries and
data shows that, on average, one out of five urban residents
worldwide report being victimized within a five-year
period. 45
Regional trends in burglary, robbery and assaults
between the period of 1996 to 2000, based on victim
reports, are shown in Figure 3.11. The data includes 31
countries that participated in the ICVS sweeps in 1996 and
2000. Owing to differences in the number and distribution
of countries analysed based on the 2000 ICVS survey,
caution should be exercised in discerning the patterns,
especially relative to developing nations. 46