Megacity crime management strategies on human security: Evidence of target hardening and developmental prevention in Lagos state, Nigeria

Abstract

Lagos, a port and land border megacity, is assailed by waves of violent crimes, alarming traffic blight, unresponsive Federal system of government as been under policed in the face of leap bounding population. How the State has found her own security expression voice independent of the newly created regional Amotekun Security Network is attracting academic attention. It was against this background that this study engaged participatory Theory to analyse megacity crime management strategies on human security in Lagos state, Nigeria. The study employs target hardening and developmental prevention security approaches to measure crime management strategies as it relates to human security. This study adopts qualitative research design using content analysis of publicly available archived documents with reliance on secondary data. The research is conducted by reviewing literature pertaining to crime management strategies, violent crime and its effects on human security in a megacity setting. The literature was obtained through searches in publicly available material. Literature from non-serial publications, official reports, and conferences has been included particularly if they have been cited by other references in term crime management strategies. Results that emanate from this study revealed target hardening positively correlate with provision of human security, while result also shows a disconnect between the State’s developmental prevention strategy and human security. This study also submits that prevalence of violent crimes in Lagos state is as fallout of poor crime management strategies. The study recommends that Lagos state government should invest more into target hardening towards achieving a safer city while the Federal Government should also give a support as a safer Lagos translates to confidence of foreign investors in the country. The study also recommends that Lagos state government should engage more NGOs in evolving a stronger developmental protection strategy, deeply inculcated in both formal and informal educational system in order to stems traces of crime and criminalities at tender ages.