Crimes of Need

This report section details public perceptions of crime prevention and safety in Malawi, based on the Malawi National Crime Victimisation Survey. It highlights a strong public preference for punitive law enforcement, the prevalence of community-based protection groups, high levels of social cohesion, and low awareness of formal initiatives like Community Police Forums and victim support services.

• Most Malawians believe the government and police should take the lead in crime reduction, favoring a punitive approach. Specifically, 43.9% of respondents want increased visibility of police patrols and units, and 27.8% want an increase in armed police patrols. In contrast, only 10.1% suggested increasing penalties for offenders and only 7.6% believed creating more employment would address crime.
• While few individuals take personal steps to protect themselves—75.5% reported doing nothing—there is significant reliance on community-based protection. 44% of respondents identified organized groups other than the police providing protection, including neighborhood watches, private security, and informal vigilante organizations. These groups often administer their own justice; 33% of those aware of such groups reported they handed out punishment independently, and 23.5% had personally seen them mete out physical punishment.
• The prevalence and behavior of community protection groups vary by region. They are most common in the Northern Region (72.1%), followed by the Central Region (55.5%) and the Southern Region (29.3%). However, these groups are more likely to administer punishment in the Central (28.4%) and Southern (23.3%) regions than in the Northern Region (10.2%).
• Malawi exhibits high levels of community cohesion and social trust. 98.4% of respondents know their next-door neighbors, 91.5% would trust neighbors with their house, and 87.6% would trust them with their children. Additionally, 68.9% of respondents are actively involved in community-based organizations, though men (72.6%) participate more than women (64.1%).
• Awareness and participation in Community Police Forums (CPFs) are very low due to the novelty of the initiative. Only 18.2% of respondents knew what a CPF was, and only 9.3% reported one in their area. Misconceptions are common, with 26.9% believing CPFs function to arrest criminals and 25.6% believing they protect the community. Among those who knew of a CPF, 79.8% viewed the structure as effective.
• Victim support services are largely unknown in Malawi, with only 6.4% of the sample aware of such services and only 22.3% of those having accessed them. Despite this lack of awareness, there is overwhelming support for such services, with 95.6% of respondents believing victims should receive support, particularly for the recovery of stolen goods or financial assistance (supported by 48.9%).

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Crimes of Need. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES9PUBLIC.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Crimes of Need. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES9PUBLIC.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Crimes of Need |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CRIMES9PUBLIC.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/CRIMES9PUBLIC.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }