Shifting safety agendas: crime prevention in the major cities

This report examines the implementation of city-level crime prevention strategies in South Africa, focusing on the transition from punitive law enforcement to problem-solving approaches. It analyzes the experiences of major cities—Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban—evaluating various models such as 'Safer Cities' and Section 21 companies, while highlighting the tension between situational prevention (like CCTV and visible policing) and long-term social interventions.

• The 1998 White Paper on Safety and Security shifted crime prevention responsibilities to city governments, promoting a sophisticated approach that includes social crime prevention, law enforcement, and crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED). However, implementation is hindered by South Africa's history of militarised and punitive law enforcement, structural inequality, poverty, and a general lack of expertise in crime prevention.
• The 'Safer Cities' model, initiated in 1995 via UN agencies, yielded varied results across three cities. Durban successfully integrated experts from government, NGOs, and private enterprise. Cape Town focused heavily on research and safety audits to drive situational and structural changes. In contrast, Johannesburg experienced high staff turnover and a lack of municipal 'ownership,' resulting in a failure to implement conceptualised projects.
• The use of Section 21 (not-for-profit) companies to coordinate crime prevention showed mixed success. The Greater Pretoria Safety and Security Association (GPSSA) failed due to scarce business contributions and staffing shortages. Conversely, a similar model in Centurion operated successfully from 1996, attributed to the community's relative wealth and strong individual leadership.
• Situational crime prevention, specifically CPTED, is the area of most progress because it aligns with existing municipal planning departments. Key initiatives include CCTV, which is most extensive in Cape Town, and visible policing. However, the report notes that CCTV is expensive and lacks independent evaluation, and there is tension between Business Against Crime (BAC) and city governments over the ownership and management of these systems.
• City Improvement Districts (CIDs) have been effective in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria. In central Johannesburg, CIDs contributed to significant reductions in crime: armed robberies decreased by 63%, muggings by 73%, shopliftings by 50%, pickpocketing by 80%, and malicious damage to property by 78%.
• There has been a strategic shift toward treating informal traders as partners in crime prevention rather than as law-breakers. Examples include using parking attendants as intelligence gatherers in Pretoria, establishing 'Traders Against Crime' in Durban's Warwick CID, and providing secure markets for hawkers in Yeoville, Johannesburg.
• Social crime prevention, including youth-targeted programs and breaking cycles of violence, remains underdeveloped. While some projects exist—such as a safer schools project in Pretoria and a youth program in Durban's KwaMashu area—most city initiatives remain reactive rather than proactive, often ignoring the socio-economic causes of crime like poverty and family instability.

APA

Palmary, I. (n.d.). Shifting safety agendas: crime prevention in the major cities. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PREVENCHAPTER3.PDF

Chicago

Palmary, Ingrid. Shifting safety agendas: crime prevention in the major cities. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PREVENCHAPTER3.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Palmary |first1=Ingrid |title=Shifting safety agendas: crime prevention in the major cities |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PREVENCHAPTER3.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{palmaryndshifting, author = {Palmary, Ingrid}, title = {{Shifting safety agendas: crime prevention in the major cities}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PREVENCHAPTER3.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }