The Role of Community Policing in Preventing Crimes in Tanzania: A Case Mkuranga District Council

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.6.1.3

Authors

Keywords:

Collaboration and Trust, Community Policing, Crime Prevention, Law Enforcement, Mkuranga District Council

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to investigate the role of community policing in preventing crimes in Tanzania concerning the Mkuranga District Council. Community policing is a strategy that emphasizes building strong relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. This approach fosters collaboration and trust, encouraging community members to participate in identifying and solving local problems actively. By engaging residents, businesses, and other stakeholders, police can gain valuable insights into the specific issues and concerns of the community. This partnership helps prevent crime by promoting proactive problem-solving rather than reactive responses. Community members are more likely to report suspicious activities and cooperate with police investigations when they feel their concerns are heard and addressed. Additionally, community policing initiatives often include educational programs, neighbourhood watch groups, and youth engagement activities, which can deter criminal behaviour by fostering a sense of shared responsibility and vigilance. Community policing enhanced safety at Mkuranga District Council by creating a cooperative environment where law enforcement and community members work together to prevent crime and improve quality of life. This study used System Theory (ST) and Community Policing Theory advocating for a society to live together in its sub-systems because the failure of one sub-system is the failure of the entire system. The study used a descriptive research design and a sample size of 123 respondents from a target population of 222,921. In addition, the study used probability sampling, where simple random sampling was used for community members, while non-probability sampling, specifically purposive sampling, was used for police officers. In this study, questionnaires were used as tools for data collection. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics analysis. The findings identified specific roles performed by community policing in preventing crimes at Mkuranga District Council. They include foot patrol, where 55 (42%) strongly agreed that it is done, prevention function, where 57 (46%) strongly agreed that it is done, providing public education, where 54 (44%) strongly agreed, coordinating community meetings, where 45 (37%) strongly agreed that it is done. This research concluded that by integrating these roles, community policing creates a collaborative framework where law enforcement and residents work together towards common safety goals, ultimately leading to a more secure and cohesive community. The study recommended the effective implementation of roles played by community policing to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of community policing at Mkuranga District Council.

Dimensions

Amadi, E. N. (2014). A qualitative analysis of community policing in the United States. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 4(1), 20-26.

Amin, M. E. (2015). Social science research on conception, methodology, and analysis. Kampala: Makerere University Printer.

Awang, Z. (2012). Research methodology and data analysis (2nd ed.). Penerbit Universiti Teknologi MARA.

Blair, R., Grossman, G., & Wilke, A. (2021). Community policing in the developing world. Science, 374(6571), 1046-1047.

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm4112 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm4112

Bokota, A., & Mwanjisi, J. (2019). Community policing and crime prevention in Tanzania: A review of literature. Journal of African Criminology and Justice Studies, 11(1), 29-42.

Carter, J. G. (2019). Foot patrol: An overlooked form of community policing. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 13(3), 276-288.

Carter, J. G., Lee, J. Y., & Katz, C. M. (2020). The impact of community policing on crime and trust in South Africa. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 57(3), 299-328.

Chamard, S. (2021). Implementing community policing: Lessons learned from around the world. Police Practice and Research, 22(1), 33-48.

Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business research methods (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. SAGE Publications.

Davis, S. K. (2021). Community policing initiatives: Examining storefront ministries as a strategy for improving police legitimacy. Policing: An International Journal, 44(3), 669-682.

Deogratius, E. K. (2021). Assessment of community policing in crime control: A case study of Temeke Ward in Temeke Municipal of Dar es Salaam. (Master's thesis, The Open University of Tanzania).

Flynn, E. (2020). Community policing is good, both today and tomorrow. In Community policing: The past, present, and future. Police Executive Research Forum.

Kamau, A. W. (2018). Attitude towards community-based policing by the Kenyan communities in prevention of crime: A case of Koibatek Sub-County of Baringo County (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi).

Manji, L. S. (2019). Community policing in local communities in Tanzania: A case study of Kimbiji Village in Kigamboni District (Master's dissertation, Mzumbe University).

Msika, A. (2020). Community policing towards crime reduction in Tanzania: A case of Dodoma Municipality. (Unpublished thesis, University of Dodoma).

Mussa, A. M. (2022). Assessment of community policing as a crime reduction strategy by the police force in Tanzania: The case of Zanzibar (Master's thesis, Mzumbe University).

Samwel, M. (2022). The roles of community policing programmes in reducing crime in Morogoro Municipality. International Journal of Science and Research, 11(7), 1880-1883. https://doi.org/10.21275/SR22722135039 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21275/SR22722135039

Schlichte, K. (2017). Policing in Africa: Structures and pathways. In J. Beek, J. Steinberg, M. Gopfert, & O. Owen (Eds.), Police in Africa: The street-level view (pp. 19-26). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190676636.003.0002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190676636.003.0002

Verma, J. P., & Verma, P. (2021). Determining sample size and power in research studies: A manual for researchers. Springer Nature.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5204-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5204-5

Zozus, M. N. (2020). The data book: Collecting and managing research data. Taylor & Francis Group.

Published

2025-01-08

How to Cite

Andrew, L., & Issa, F. (2025). The Role of Community Policing in Preventing Crimes in Tanzania: A Case Mkuranga District Council. African Journal of Empirical Research, 6(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.6.1.3