Paper short abstract:

In an attempt to address safety and security in urban Ghana, the paper reviews current approaches to effective crime prevention and examine their relevance to the Ghanaian context. The paper recommends institutional coordination for effective crime prevention.

Paper long abstract:

The Criminal Justice System (CJS) has been instrumental in the crime prevention efforts in most urban societies. Yet the CJS alone may not be sufficient in the provision of adequate security and safety in urban societies. There is therefore the recognition that addressing crime and insecurity in urban areas require an integrated crime prevention strategy that takes into cognizance the institutional, social and spatial/geographical causes of crime within specific urban context. More so, it has been argued that the design of any crime prevention policy, although should be context specific and culturally relevant, should also be formulated within comprehensive city planning systems. Based on this understanding, the paper reviews some of the approaches to effective crime prevention in urban settings and examines their relevance and applicability to the Ghanaian urban setting and experience. This is very important, particularly when recent studies in Ghana have shown variations in the nature, type and prevalence of crime and insecurity in and across cities in Ghana. The paper concludes that for effective crime prevention in urban Ghana, there should be coordination among formal, informal and planning institutions in the design process as well as implementation of city plans since crime is becoming more complex and sophisticated.