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Reducing urban crime and violence245For example, the Port Moresby case study suggests that thepolice and criminal justice systems’ public credibility is poor.This is so for several of reasons, including what is frequentlyseen as violent behaviour by the police; the failure of theprison system to offer anything much more than an advancededucation in crime; and the general failure to effectivelyaddress the city’s escalating crime problems.As a consequence, there is a need to ‘modernize’these systems if they are to play a key role in tackling theproblems of crime and violence in Port Moresby. 18 An importantpart of initiatives of this nature is the need to addresscorruption wherever it exists. This is because thewidespread belief that corrupt behaviour will enable criminalsto avoid capture and sentencing, or to be treated moreleniently than would have been the case, is corrosive ofpublic trust and confidence in these services. Where it isclear that confidence and trust are low, an importantelement in any action would be steps to retrieve this positionsince it is very difficult for the police and the criminal justicesystems to operate effectively without public support andgoodwill.It is important to note that programmes aimed atstrengthening the police, particularly in developingcountries, should also address their welfare and poor conditionsof service. For instance, in Kabul, Afghanistan, theaverage police officer earns $15 per month. 19 Similarly, inAfrican countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, thepolice earn a pittance, and often lack the appropriate equipmentto carry out their duties. In countries such asBotswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa and Kenya,members of the police force have not been spared from theHIV/AIDS pandemic. Furthermore, the living conditions inmost police accommodation are appalling. It was thereforenot surprising to observers when, in 2002, junior officers ofthe Nigeria Police Force threatened to embark on strikeaction to press for improved working and service conditions.■ Learning from initiatives, finding resourcesand setting priorities for community safetychangeIn terms of future action, two points stand out from thematerial summarized in Box 10.3. First, it represents a lot ofinitiatives in different cities, and it is critical that whenevaluations of these initiatives have been undertaken, thelessons that can be learned from them are publicized so thatother cities can see what has worked well and under whatcircumstances, and can shape their own practices accordingly.Second, many of the actions listed in Box 10.3 requireextra resources in order to be undertaken. But some of thisis about priorities for the use of existing resources. There isstill an opportunity cost issue as time spent doing one thingis time not spent doing something else. It is therefore criticalthat leaders and senior managers in the police and criminaljustice systems participate fully in the debates on communitysafety strategies, are active members of the partnershiparrangements that shape them, and buy into what is beingattempted in a manner that recognizes the need to reviewhow they utilize their existing resources in order to findways in which they can contribute effectively.Box 10.3 Actions to strengthen formal criminal justice andpolicing in Safer Cities projects in African citiesThere are broadly nine types of actions that have been undertaken to date, which are summarizedas follows, together with the key specific types of projects that have been carried outunder each of these headings:Decentralized police services: includes strengthening of local police precincts, and creatingsatellite and mobile police stations.Collaboration with municipalities: includes improvements to police facilities andequipment, joint analysis of crime problems and identification of priorities, and neighbourhoodwatch.Municipal police involvement in by-laws enforcement: enforcement of the traffic codeand regulations, and more patrols and greater visibility in problematic neighbourhoods andareas.Coordination and training: includes liaison with private security agencies, coordination ofoperations between national and municipal police, and better training of police personnel.Working closer with the local population: including community, neighbourhood andproblem-solving policing approaches, prevention programmes that target youth, victims andretailers, and sensitization campaigns.Alternative sanctions: including community work and reparations to victims of various kinds.Neighbourhood justice: including legal education (focusing on rights and responsibilities),ward tribunals, and mediation by neighbourhood and religious chiefs.Detention oriented towards the social and economic reintegration of youngoffenders: includes completing school, job training and sensitization to the prevention of healthproblems.Partnership with civil society: including the reintegration of young people within theirfamilies and training sessions in the workplace.Source: UN-Habitat, 2006eAll of this pertains to priorities, and experiencesuggests that it is easier to influence the priorities of thepolice and the criminal justice services if their leaders andsenior managers are active participants in the process ofpulling together and implementing community safety strategiesthan if they stand outside them. This may also be aboutthe willingness to experiment and to try new things,especially when faced with evidence or perceptions thattraditional ways of doing things may actually be contributingto the problem. It may well be that leaders and seniormanagers in the police and criminal justice services will bemore willing to look at this positively if it is seen as part of acomprehensive programme of change where others arewilling to experiment and try new things.■ The challenges of imprisonment andrecidivismThe philosophies and resources that govern prison policy andpractices, and the laws that determine the crimes for whichoffenders are sent to prison are usually controlled at nationalrather than municipal levels. This is one of the most importantpolicy areas through which central governments – byaddressing these issues – can contribute to measures totackle urban crime. Although this problem is beingaddressed in some countries by improving prison conditionsand by placing more emphasis on rehabilitation, a particularProgrammes aimedat strengthening thepolice, particularlyin developingcountries, shouldalso address theirwelfare and poorconditions of service