Crimes of Need

This document presents findings from the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey regarding public perceptions of crime and safety. It details how Malawians perceive trends in violent and property crime, regional differences in the types of crime feared most, and the resulting behavioral changes caused by the fear of crime.

• Public perception of crime trends in Malawi is divided. While 48.5% of survey respondents believe crime in their residential areas increased over the last three years, 38.3% believe it decreased. Perceptions of specific crime types vary: 54.7% believe violent crime decreased, whereas opinions on property crime are more split, with 45.2% believing it increased and 42% believing it decreased.
• The types of crime feared most by the public vary significantly by region and environment. In the Northern Region, crop theft (35.1%) is the primary fear; in the Central Region, it is murder (35.1%); and in the Southern Region, robbery (26.7%) is most feared. Urban residents primarily fear robberies (39%), housebreaking (21.8%), and theft of personal property (16.8%), while rural residents primarily fear murder (27.3%), crop theft (21%), and robbery (17%).
• While most Malawians feel safe during the day (84.3% very safe, 11.5% safe), feelings of safety drop sharply at night, with only 31% feeling either safe or very safe. This level of nighttime safety is reported as significantly lower than in Asia (75.2%), Latin America (51.4%), and other transitional countries (46.5%). Notably, there is little difference between the perceptions of safety held by men and women in Malawi.
• Fear of crime has led 44% of respondents to change their behavior over the past three years. The most common change is stopping walking in their areas at night (71%), followed by hiding property more carefully (11%) and avoiding strangers (11%). Specific activities impacted include keeping livestock or poultry outside (38.9%), playing or resting in open spaces (27.7%), and using public transport alone (23.1%).

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Crimes of Need. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES7PUBLIC.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Crimes of Need. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES7PUBLIC.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Crimes of Need |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES7PUBLIC.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndcrimes, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Crimes of Need}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES7PUBLIC.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }