Crime prevention is an outside job 

By Anthony G. Stewart, PhD 

Undoubtedly, everyone is responsible for crime prevention, no matter where we find ourselves and whatever we do. Although it appears that the main perpetrators of crime are male and poor, the females and the rich are becoming more engaged in criminal activities. Crime is prevented mainly through outdoor activities, even though indoor forensic activities are needed to process evidence to convict offenders and incarcerate them. 

Many people go about their daily activities oblivious to the important crime-prevention role they play. The mother who cares diligently for her children through daily devotions, church attendance, feeding them, sending them to school on time, being there when they return home, ensuring that homework and chores are done, teaching self-sufficiency through subsistent farming, and generally teaching them to be respectful and responsible is doing a great crime-prevention job. 

Spending time outdoors is very important as children learn through play and gardening, and animal husbandry. 

Fathers play a very important role in protection and provision. He is also the priest of the family. Children who know their fathers perform better at school. 

The church is a hospital for sinners, and the clergy and members must seek them out on the outside through various outreach programmes. These may include home visits, neighbourhood Bible schools, community services, camps and clubs. People thus engaged are unlikely to get involved in crime. 

The school’s first responsibility is to teach students how to live and how to make a living. It is a crime for students to leave school without these basic skills. Maths is not rocket science and English is our mother tongue. Provision must be made for adequate teaching, practice, and testing in these fundamental areas. 

Reading is fundamental and schools must cultivate this habit among students. Skills are essential and the skills needed in society must be taught at school. School is a place where we learn to do what we do better. The research says that when deviant students are visited at home, their behaviour improves. Therefore, home visits are essential in steering potential deviants away from a life of crime 

Much of the work of social workers and counselors is outside the office and should involve more home visits. When this is done, the true situation of the families can be better assessed and timely intervention made. Additionally, there must be continuous follow-ups. This is a job that does not end as the safety and stability of society depend on it. 

Human trafficking needs to be curbed. Runaway girls together with their accomplices must be held responsible for their actions. 

The practice of medicine is mainly preventative, and this occurs in homes and communities. Mental health is an important component, and those who need the services should receive them at the community level. Our lack in this area is the cause of some crimes in our society. 

Provision must be made to collect all the pension funds from employers everywhere, so NIS workers must be out in the communities, ensuring that all employers are held responsible. People who collect adequate pension benefits are unlikely to be involved in crime. 

Community policing is an essential component of crime prevention. Police must live, dwell, and mingle in local populations and serve as essential deterrents to crime. Adequate training and education in all aspects of policing are essential. The justices of the peace must be given latitude to solve community problems expeditiously. Courts, too, must not be complicit in crime through inordinate delays and failure to ask the right questions. Why aren’t retailers of illegal drugs allowed to turn in the wholesalers? Prisons should be allowed to operate appropriate schools within their walls to enable people to exit with adequate knowledge and skills to reduce recidivism. 

Action must be taken about the general indicators of lawlessness in society. These include vulgar and loud music on public transport, animals on the loose, destroying lives and livelihoods, wanton burning of garbage, poor work ethics fostered by free monies, and excluding lawyers, doctors, businesses, and farmers from paying their fair share of taxes. 

Additionally, when there is a problem in society, we need confidence that it will be addressed. Hopelessness can be a cause of crime. We may not have the solutions to all that confronts us, but respectful dialogue and a commitment to finding a solution will be useful. Some are angry without just cause, but knowledge of a way forward will soothe the situation. Venturing outside often may provide our solution to preventing crime. 

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