An Appraisal of Insecurity and the Consequences on Residents in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The Ancient city of ‘CALABAR’ often interpreted as “Come And Live And Be At Rest” has experienced insecurity and safety for over a decade due to rapid population growth and urbanization. The urban settings have also influenced criminal activities and disorder especially the physical form of the metropolis and its diverse economic activities. The increase crime rate is also attributed to the city’s social activity pattern and the structure of its transportation network which distributes traffic to all the neighborhoods within and around Calabar Metropolis. The aim of this study is to appraise the insecurity situation in the ancient city of Calabar and the consequences on the residents in the metropolis. The specific objectives are; to identify the major types of criminal activities in Calabar metropolis; to determine the cause of such criminal activities in the study area; and to examine the physical form and structure of the area under study. The Pearson’s Product Moment statistical techniques was employed to test the relationship between population and crime. At 4.345 degree of freedom and 0.05 level of significance, the P-value was less than the chosen alpha of .05, the null Hypothesis was therefore rejected confirming a significant relationship between population and crime in the study area. The study further revealed increase criminal activities in the inner-city neighborhoods and the Gated and rich neighborhoods in the study area due to the deteriorating quality of urban life and poor urban planning and design.