The Role of Community Policing in Crrime Reduction in Tanzania

Abstract

1he current study aimed to examine the role of community policing in crime reduction in Rombo district Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Specifically the study intended to identify the types of crimes persisting, to evaluate the effectiveness of community policing strategies in reducing crime, and to identify challenges encountered by the Police Force in administering the Community Policing. A case study research design was employed in which Rombo district council was taken as a case study. A total of 82 respondents were selected as a sample size. The study used interview and questionnaires as data collecting tools. The study adopted purposive and simple randomly sampling technique to select respondents. Based on the findings it was revealed that robbery, domestic violence, youth criminals, drug-related related crimes, property theft, and violent crimes among others were the main crimes that exists in Rombo district. Further, data analysis findings indicated several the effectiveness of community policing strategies. These strategies included police force involvement, community policing initiatives, good partnership between the police and the community, trust between the police and the residents, awareness of CP programs & initiatives, and the visibility of police in the community. Furthermore, the study results found out that lack of enough resources, poor community involvement in CP, Lack of training for police officers on CP, poor communications, cultural barriers, inadequacy staffing of police force, corruption, and poor public awareness were the challenges encountered by the Police Force in administering the CP. The study hereby concluded that Community policing strategies in Rombo District have contributed significantly to enhancing crime reduction. It is therefore recommended that civic education by the police to discuss with the community their role in security management and crime prevention and encourage ownership of the practice by the local communities.