Participatory mapping for crime prevention in South Africa - local solutions to local problems

Abstract

Community policing remains more a talked-about concept than a practice actually taking place in South Africa today. In spite of much legislation pointing to the need for people's participation, there is limited understanding of how this should be done. The emphasis in this research note is on a process that is being developed that might provide one such methodology to assist the police in its approach to partnership policing. The application of community participatory action planning processes and practices to the crime prevention field was initiated by urban researchers, and resulted in the development of the model described here. Initial results indicate that the process allows people to understand that crime does not occur randomly but that it happens in certain and predictable places. The process has the ability to empower communities to act together with the police in order to prevent and reduce violent crime.