RESIDENTS' PERCEPTION OF CRIME IN OSOGBO, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study assesses the spatial perception of crime and Nearness Neighbourhood Analysis (NNA) of police stations within the different residential zones in Osogbo with a view to suggesting measures to mitigate the crime rate in the city. The 27 political wards in Osogbo were classified into three zones: the traditional zone, the intermediate zone, and the peripheral zone, from which three political wards were selected from each zone through balloting, making a total of 9 political wards.Based on a 0.01 per cent sample size, 209 questionnaires were administered across the nine political wards using a simple random sampling technique. The Likert Scale was employed to measure the perception of crime across the different residential zones. Data from Global Positioning System (GPS) locations of police stations were collected for Nearness Neighbourhood Index (NNI). Data analysis made use of descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that property crimes were most prevalent within the traditional zone, with a mean score of 1.75 compared to 1.40 and 1.32 for intermediate and peripheral zones respectively. The result of the NNA analysis revealed a NNI ratio of 269.28, and the mean distance from each police station to the nearest community as 1229.08 meters which shows it is dispersed. The result of the ANOVA at 1.14E-94 revealed that there is no significant difference in the spatial variation of crime amongst the different residential zones. This implies that the people living within the three residential zones, especially the traditional zone, should be more security conscious by establishing cordial relationships and communication with the security agencies to protect lives and properties for effective urban crime management.