Studies have consistently proven that poverty and unemployment have fueled crime in the Democratic Republic of South Africa, as the poor are desperately trying to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Based on the findings of the study, possible policy recommendations were offered to reduce the crime rate in the area.
Introduction and background
Polls show that crime rather than socio-economic issues now dominate people's concerns and that fear of crime is on the rise. Regarding the impacts of crime in South Africa, Zoutenberg (2013) states that crime negatively affects a country's economy through the reduction of global investment and the development from small to larger business enterprises.
Rationale and Problem Statement
Sociological theories on the other hand reflect that crime is shaped by factors external to the individual such as their neighbourhood, peers and family. Both theories as well as other causes of crime such as poverty and unemployment are further discussed in the literature in relation to the understanding of crimes as they are perceived by the inhabitants of the Tongaat community.
Aim and Scope of the Study
Drug-related crimes in this case involve the illegal sale of drugs by individuals to make ends meet. The Tongaat area is not only known for drug related offences, but also crimes such as theft, burglary, common assault, robbery, sexual offenses and murder (North Coast Courier, 2015).
Objectives of the Study
In the secondary data collection phase, relevant published scientific literature, including journal articles, newspaper reports, electronic media and other print media were reviewed and researched. The secondary data was compared with the primary data in order to ensure the reliability of the research findings.
Research Questions
Significance of the Study
The findings of the study will help policy makers and stakeholders involved in providing basic needs, information and services to the population to understand the negative impact of insecurity and crime on the quality of life of citizens. More importantly, the study will sensitize government and NGOs to the causes and impact of crime, which should in turn motivate them to improve the socio-economic infrastructure of the Tongaat community.
Conceptualization of Key Terms
Almost half of older people over the age of 75 were too afraid to leave their homes after dark" (National Center for Victims of Crime (n.d). The next assumption is self-interest, which states that "the individual's actions in he is entirely concerned with his own welfare” (Ogu, 2013).
Structure of Dissertation
Summary
This chapter provides a concise overview of this study by revealing the core component of the thesis as articulated by the background, statement of the problem, purpose, research questions, research objectives and significance of the study and conceptualization of the relevant concepts. More importantly, the rationale for choosing the topic and the objectives for undertaking this study are outlined.
Introduction
The Causes of Crime
A recent article (anonymous n.d.) describes that the question "what causes crime?" has not yet received a full response. According to Morgan (2011) it adds to the body of research explaining the causes of crime in relation to inequality.
Unemployment and Poverty as a Cause of Crime
To follow up on the above points, an article (The Root causes of Crime, 1996) stated that the root causes of crime in this case are divided into three main factors namely: economic. The author also discusses the point of crime against poverty, which in this case states poverty as one of the causes of crime.
More Causes of Crime
Regarding economic costs, the author states that “the RCA approach suggests that economic costs, such as a loss of legitimate income, also influence the commission of crime” Chaudhary and McCarthy (2014). Crime creates stress and fear in the community because the community's belongings are taken away”….The local citizens suffer stress and fear leading to suicides”.
The Effects of Crime: Emotional, Physical and Psychological Effects
Preventive and Coping Mechanisms
Corruption in the crime control officers (police) is the main factor in increasing the crime rate in Pakistan. The authors further emphasized that "the most confounding gender difference was the finding that men use more problem-focused coping strategies than women in acceptance situations" (Green and Diaz, 2008).
Summary
The negative coping strategies, on the other hand, added two more factors that dissociate and obsess over the crime. Compared to women, men persist and think about the problem more than women when it comes to finding possible solutions (Hyder and Malik, 2017).
Introduction
The Strain Theory
The last type of strain, in this case, is 'the actual or expected presentation of negative stimuli', which is highly associated with social learning theory, where the individual with strain presents or shows high levels of learning negative behaviour; and when faced with strain, they practice it'. Disadvantages, on the other hand, are declines of something, in this case the decline of tribal theory.
The Rational Choice Theory
Still on the question of the central point of rational choice theory, which is the benefits of individual choices, the author in this case explains the costs and benefits of the theory and the correlation of the theory with crime. People offend when their subjectively expected return to crime (ie, the benefit-cost ratio) exceeds what they believe they will gain by spending the same amount of time and other resources on engaging in legitimate activities” (Chaudhary and McCarthy, 2014 ).
Summary
There are also criticisms of the theory that demonstrate the downfall of the theory, but these differences are not well articulated in the theory. The theory also has its own critics or downfalls which are discussed by various authors with attempts to point out the gaps not covered by the theory in question.
Introduction
Location of the Study
Research Design
Research Approach
Sampling Techniques
Recruitment Strategy
Data Collection
The reason why the researcher used such a tool as a method of data collection was because of the advantages associated with “the invention of digital recorders, which made the transcription method even better for several reasons. The tape recorder was used in this case to conduct interviews that were conducted in a one-on-one session with each participant in order to allow confidentiality between the researcher and participant.
Problems / Challenges Encountered
- Relatively Few Literature on Tongaat and its Crime
- Nonchalant Participation of participants
- Difficulty in Finding Possible Participants
- Expensive Travel Cost to Participants’ Homes
The researcher used individual interviews because it provided the opportunity to interview or interrogate an individual one-on-one, allowing for privacy between the participant and the researcher. According to Tessier (2012), other advantages include that tape recorders are fast, can keep track of information during the analysis process, and finally, they use the participant's voice.
Data Analysis
First, digital files do not become corrupted over time and backups can be easily stored to ensure the integrity of the files. These interviews were conducted in various participants' homes and in other places such as libraries, where the participant felt safe being interviewed.
Ensuring Trustworthiness of the Research
- Credibility
- Transferability
- Dependability
- Conformability
This last aspect deals with how much support the results of the study give to its members or participants in the study. In this case, conformity was assessed by producing the report itself so that they can relate the results of the studies to other empirical findings.
Ethical Considerations
- Confidentiality-
- Participants’ feelings
- Gatekeeper’s permission
- Inform Consent
- Privacy
- Voluntary Participation
- Anonymity
This is exactly what the researcher did in this case, he tried to explain everything to the participant, after which the participants agreed to be part of the study. If a researcher asks participants to be part of a study, it does not mean that they should participate.
Summary
Introduction
Types of Crimes that Occur in Tongaat Community
- House Breaking
- Robbery and Theft
- Murder
- Physical and Sexual Assault
- Vehicle Hijackings
Based on the accounts of the participants below, robbery as well as theft are the most common crimes among the people of the Tongaat community. A participant, who is also a member of the KPF, stated that this form of criminal offense has decreased in the last five years.
Prominent Causes of Crime
Unemployment and Poverty
The trend of poverty in the area promotes unusual criminals, such as common criminals who only steal to live. The above statement can easily be related to the sociological approaches mentioned in the literature review of this study, which explains how crime is caused among individuals.
Effects of Crime on Community
- Mistrust and Hopelessness
- Anxiety and Fear
- Depression and Trauma
- Stress and Suicides
- Reduced Social Interaction Among Neighbours
- Financial Worries
- Overcrowding in Prisons
Three participants argued that one of the effects of crime in the Tongaat community is depression and trauma. One of the effects of crime in the Tongaat community is reduced social interaction between neighbors.
Community Crime Reduction Strategies
- Neighbourhood Watch
- Extra lighting
- Installation of Alarms and CCTV Cameras
- Police Patrols Involvement
- Encouraging Members of the Community to Work with SAPS
- Community Policing Forums
- Creating Job and Educational Opportunities
In support of the above statement, one participant stated that prisons are overcrowded with young people. Every community member should have emergency numbers, such as those of the SAPS, to report crimes as they occur.”
Coping Mechanism(s)
- Survival of the Fittest
- Professional Assistance
- Investing in Security Systems
- Staying Indoors Late
- Possession of Legal firearms
I don't have a particular way of coping, I live in the hope that one day I won't be a victim of crime, I could say it's survival of the fittest.” This positive mind comes in the form of recovery, but also in the form of a changed mindset of a crime victim.
Effectiveness of Such Mechanisms
The above comments from the participants prove that there is also a gap between coping mechanisms and their effectiveness. The participants concluded that the aforementioned coping mechanisms were not as effective for them in reducing crime rates.
Summary
- Identifying the Various Forms of Crime that are Prevalent in Tongaat Community
- Exploring the Causes of Crime in Tongaat Community
- Investigating the Effects of Crime on the Inhabitants of Tongaat Community
- Identifying Possible Coping Mechanisms that can be adopted to address the Problem of Crime in
- Determining the Effectiveness of the Community Coping Mechanisms
However, based on the participants' conceptual argument, the effectiveness of coping mechanisms in Tongaat signifies the reduction of crime in the area, while the ineffectiveness of coping mechanisms suggests an increase or continuation of criminal activities in the Tongaat community. Based on the conceptual clarification of the participants selected for the study, vehicle hijacking was reported to be so prominent in the Tongaat region.
Recommendations
The study recommends job creation and educational opportunities as a means of reducing and preventing crime in the community. If employment opportunities were created, members of society would feel relieved in terms of crime reduction, as each individual would become gainfully employed or engaged, leaving little or no time for people to engage in criminal behavior.
Conclusion
Builds on the foundations of general strain theory: specifying the types of strain most likely to lead to crime and delinquency. The relationship between the decline in offline crime and the rise in online and hybrid crime.
ANNEXURES
ANNEXURE B (Ethical Approval)
ANNEXURE C (Informed consent form in English)
ANNEXURE D (Informed consent form in IsiZulu)…
ANNEXURE E (Interview schedule in English) …
ANNEXURE F (Interview schedule in IsiZulu)
