Petty Crime In Urban Settings In Namibia – A Case Study Of The City Of Windhoek

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to establish the nature of petty crimes that are committed within the City of Windhoek. The study further aimed at establishing the social characteristics of those who are committing such crimes as well as identifying possible hot spots where these crimes are likely to take place. This was achieved through consulting and analysing police records and criminals‟ profiles, interviewing the victims of petty crimes and persons arrested by the police and charged with petty crimes. The study also included those suspect that where brought to the police stations after they were found attempting to commit these crimes. The interview was to establish the nature of the crime they have been accused of and the spots where the y are said to have committed or attempted to commit such crimes. .The study harnessed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The former consisted of a systematic analysis of relevant primary and secondary sources. The latter offered a statistical analysis of crime culled from primary sources such as police Occurrence Books, and Crime Records. The study was exploratory and descriptive in nature. The study found that theft out of motor vehicles, theft from persons, house breakings and theft, bag and cellular telephone snatchings, and shopliftings are the common crimes in the City of Windhoek. It was established that petty crimes in the City of Windhoek are not static and that certain areas in the city are more frequented by petty crimes than others. The study further identifies the social characteristics of the suspects of petty crimes to be mostly young and unemployed youths. The study thus concludes that the current crime prevention measures in the City are not effective enough and recommends innovations to improve on their effectiveness. ii No previous study was done in this area; the be