I
A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO CRIME PREVENTION TO ENHANCE SECURITY IN ZAMBIA
ntroduction:
The report is produced by the
Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D) of the Zambia Police Service with the aim of giving an outlook of the crime situation in Zambia for the period 2008 to 2013. We have also made comments on aspects influencing the crime situation on the Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces and we have made recommendations on proactive measures which need to be put in place to reach the crime reduction target of 50% as aspirations projected in the Zambia Police Strategic Plan 2013 - 2016.
Crime trends from 2008 to 2013
National Crime trends for the past five years was such that, in 2008 to 2009 reduced by (1.4%) i.e. from 91,492 to 90,214 reported cases. It then increased by (3.7%) to 93,581 in 2010. From 2010 to 2011 there was a sharp reduction (13.8%) in crimes reported, i.e. to 80,613. In 2012 there was a sharp increase (9.9%) to 88,655. However, minor reduction (0.31%) in 2013 was observed from 88,655 to 88,384.
The table and a graph below summarizes the crime trends for the period 2008 to 2013.
Year |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
Crime reported |
91,492 |
90,214 |
93,581 |
80,613 |
88,655 |
88,384 |
Source: Police Data Collection Tools.
Distribution of reported cases in Zambia by province for the period 2008 to 2013
During the period under review, Copperbelt province recorded the highest number of criminal cases. This province comprises of mining towns and has the second largest population density and it is also the hub of social - political economy just like Lusaka. Meanwhile, Lusaka was second in terms of crime levels recorded. This is the capital city and has the highest population density and is also the hub of social – political economy. Thus frequency of crime was relatively higher in the two provinces due high activity in business transactions. The rest of the provinces recorded relatively low crime levels as can be seen on the table below.
Province |
Year |
|||||
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
|
Lusaka |
20,547 |
19,407 |
19,005 |
17,568 |
22,923 |
24,056 |
Copperbelt |
32,469 |
31,197 |
34,938 |
21,919 |
25,161 |
30,600 |
Central |
6,168 |
5,871 |
9,477 |
4,428 |
6,017 |
5,377 |
Northern |
5,189 |
5,502 |
6,639 |
6,101 |
3,964 |
2,137 |
Eastern |
4,228 |
3,994 |
4,399 |
5,292 |
3,798 |
5,008 |
N/western |
3,679 |
3,595 |
3,980 |
5,252 |
4,222 |
3,580 |
Western |
3,769 |
5,656 |
2,412 |
5,654 |
6,569 |
2,449 |
Southern |
11,254 |
10,165 |
9,215 |
9,580 |
10,099 |
9,781 |
Luapula |
4,189 |
4,827 |
3,516 |
4,819 |
4,257 |
3,994 |
Muchinga |
- |
- |
- |
- |
1,645 |
1,397 |
Crime statistics on selected offences reported to and dealt with by the Police for the period 2008 to 2013
|
Year |
|||||
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
||||
Offence |
Reported |
Arrests |
Reported |
Arrests |
Reported |
Arrests |
Murder |
694 |
379 |
812 |
461 |
812 |
423 |
Agg/robbery |
1,838 |
495 |
1,656 |
564 |
1,448 |
548 |
Rape |
296 |
129 |
238 |
115 |
297 |
125 |
Defilement |
2,208 |
1,877 |
1,691 |
640 |
2,430 |
1,071 |
Stock theft |
2,855 |
1,200 |
2,137 |
784 |
1,670 |
591 |
Theft of M/v |
325 |
51 |
294 |
110 |
235 |
134 |
Arson |
921 |
210 |
790 |
200 |
764 |
215 |
Assault O.A.B.H |
18,199 |
7,086 |
18,333 |
5,826 |
20,290 |
6,493 |
Theft |
10,870 |
6,033 |
21,312 |
6,465 |
15,545 |
6,181 |
Year |
||||||
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
||||
Offence |
Reported |
Arrests |
Reported |
Arrests |
Reported |
Arrests |
Murder |
863 |
537 |
885 |
475 |
867 |
613 |
Agg/robbery |
2,114 |
334 |
1,415 |
552 |
1,168 |
362 |
Rape |
250 |
111 |
323 |
138 |
294 |
115 |
Defilement |
1,354 |
838 |
2,392 |
943 |
1,159 |
709 |
Stock theft |
1,829 |
712 |
2,042 |
1,076 |
1,650 |
939 |
Theft of M/v |
288 |
88 |
407 |
108 |
420 |
161 |
Arson |
795 |
283 |
812 |
219 |
696 |
251 |
Assault O.A.B.H |
18,835 |
4,958 |
23,647 |
7,242 |
21,201 |
7,841 |
Theft |
15,750 |
4,522 |
16,682 |
4,789 |
15,786 |
5,546 |
Conclusion