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Summary of case studies305Bradford has a partnership approach for addressingissues of crime and violence that follows the model establishedby the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act, and whichappears to have been able to put in place a strategy and aseries of action plans that have contributed to the fall incrime. The current strategic priorities for this strategy,which is rolled forward every three years, are visibleresponses both to environmental quality issues and to theprovision in communities of a uniformed presence, supportfor vulnerable people, the prevention of crime and lawenforcement. This is also closely related to the overallcommunity strategy for the city, in which securing publicsafety for a multicultural community is a major issue.In addition, Bradford has also taken the British idea ofgetting the planning system to address crime preventionquite a long way, with a clear policy statement in a recentlyapproved development plan, a commitment to the furtherdevelopment of this thinking in the preparation of moredetailed guidance, a history of effective work by the policearchitectural liaison service, and some solid achievements onthe ground (see Box 4.6).All of these things make Bradford an interesting caseof effective crime prevention strategies and of engagementwith the planning process. At the same time, this case alsodemonstrates some of the difficulties involved in going downthese roads, since this has by no means always been asmooth journey. In particular, there is still a distance to gobefore a consensus could be said to have been reachedwithin the city’s planning and development communityabout what constitutes good practice in this field. As a consequence,the case is useful not just as a demonstration of ahighly structured approach to tackling crime and violence,but also as an illustration of some of the issues that arisefrom such an approach.Effective crime prevention in Durban, SouthAfricaSouth Africa experienced soaring crime levels during thelast years of apartheid, which continue unabated into theten years of democracy. Crime in Durban, the largest city inthe KwaZulu-Natal Province, increased by 13 per centbetween 2001 and 2005, with more than 190,000 cases ofcrime between 2004 and 2005. Crime statistics from theSouth African Police Services Information Analysis Centreshow that burglary at residential premises, other forms oftheft, common assault, robbery with aggravating circumstances,assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodilyharm, and theft out of or from motor vehicles are among theleading forms of crime, constituting 60 per cent, 18 percent, 9 per cent, 8 per cent, 6 per cent and 5.9 per cent,respectively, of the total crime, While total crime, ingeneral, has increased in Durban, there have been noticeabledecreases in particular forms of crime, such as theft ofmotor vehicles and motorcycles, burglary at businesspremises and arson, which have reduced by 10 per cent, 2per cent, 1.5 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively, between2001 and 2005. On the obverse, sharp increases in crimessuch as burglary at residential areas, common robbery anddrug-related crimes have increased by 47 per cent, 4 percent and 2 per cent, respectively, contributing to increasedcrime in Durban.As a response, city officials have forged developmentnegotiations, peace pacts and partnerships as mechanisms toprevent crime in Durban. These efforts are an attempt tostrengthen community-based involvement in the developmentprocess of the new South Africa, a notion that alignswell with the concept of participatory democracy. Key issuesin Durban are centred around creating and carrying outpartnership processes, the problems (and value) of incorporatingthe informal sector within crime prevention efforts,targeting programmes for vulnerable groups, and craftingeffective social and environmental design initiatives.The Safer Cities Steering Committee, consisting ofcity councillors, public officials and South African PoliceServices and Business against Crime members, was establishedto guide project development. A research advisorygroup was established to advise on research, informationgathering,analysis and best practices, mainly in the area of‘social’ crime prevention, focusing on violence againstwomen, victim support, youth development and understandingthe causes of violence. While most of these initiatives arestill in their infancy, results prove to be positive. In 2003,the new Ethekwini Municipality Safety and CrimePrevention Strategy was developed and adopted by councilas part of a five-year strategic plan of action. The DurbanSafer Cities Strategy brings different role-players together ina prevention partnership. Three pillars of the strategyinclude:• effective policing and crime prevention;• targeted ‘social’ crime prevention; and• crime prevention through environmental design.These initiatives also include:• community police forums;• business against crime partnerships;• education, including a strategy on school safety;• extensive inner-city CCTV networks monitored bymunicipal police;• Durban suburban crime prevention strategies; and• use of women’s safety audits.While these initiatives have not eradicated crime, they have,to a greater extent, contained it. Clearly, the challenges areoverwhelming and, to have any impact at all, there is astrong need to coordinate exceedingly well and to buildstrong alliances across society. This should include stronglinks with relevant government departments, business,media, civil society (including churches), traditional leadersand healers, as well as communities.Several lessons have emerged from Durban’s experience,the most notable of which include the following:• There is still a lack of coordination betweengovernment departments on safety and security.Consequently, developing mechanisms for coordinatedaction is a necessary step if crime and violence preventionprogrammes are to be implemented effectively.