Spatial Variation in Households’ Defensible Response in Oke-Ogun Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

Ige James Olateju ,Abolade Olajoke ,Adigun Folasade O ,Ayaburi Samuel

doi:10.7176/jlpg/89-18

Abstract

The paper assessed households’ use and location of security barriers and surveillance structure in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State with a view to examining spatial variation in households’ response to crime in the area. Both primary and secondary data were employed. The total households of urban and rural settlements as identified in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State were 44,421 and 175,568 respectively The sample frame constituted all households in the study area, and five out of 1000 of all the 219,989 total households which approximately amount to 1100 households constituted the sample size, Random sampling was employed in hierarchical selection of 5 0 / 00 of the total households in each settlement type, and a total number of 1100 copies of questionnaires were randomly administered Descriptive statistics such as percentage and Chi-Square were used to present summary of findings.. Findings revealed that fence, security gates/checkpoints and burglary guards were among the security barriers used. Higher order security consciousness was displayed in urban area with a substantial proportion of buildings surveyed (57.8%) having burglar guard on windows compared with 54.5% in the rural settlements. Observation from actual existence revealed that the quality of burglar guards in terms of strength and durability conformed to a regular spatial pattern; and that quality improved with increasing sizes (from rural to urban settlement) of settlement types. Also, surveillance structure in Oke-Ogun included the use of private security personnel which was at its lowest intensity and only 13.4% of all households surveyed signifying its usage. Vigilante group dominates every other security measures across the settlement types. The study concluded that response to crime in the area varied spatially. Keywords: Crime, Household, Surveillance, Security barriers DOI : 10.7176/JLPG/89-18 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Highlights

Crime is a global cankerworm and one of the most notable threats to rural liveability and urban development
In Nigeria, crime has all day long become a hydra-headed social monster pervading every dimension of human survival and stable life style
Private security agents are intensively hired by organisations and individuals who can afford to pay for a multitude of motives. These motives include deep-seated fears that crime will infringe on safe neighbourhoods, which are largely due to the perceived increasing intricacy of the society, and the reality of the finiteness and limitations of government resources that could be put at the disposal of effective neighbourhood policing

Summary

Introduction

Crime is a global cankerworm and one of the most notable threats to rural liveability and urban development. One is reminded of insecurity everywhere one goes in Nigeria It is not just the window guards, burglar-proofs, fortified gates, security ramparts, sky rocketing defensive walls and the day by day news of bolder and more sophisticated crimes that indicate rampant menace, but the increased growth of troop movements in the neighbourhoods and the presence, day and night, of law enforcement agents and other armed guards patrolling the streets, highways and borders. Private security agents are intensively hired by organisations and individuals who can afford to pay for a multitude of motives These motives include deep-seated fears that crime will infringe on safe neighbourhoods, which are largely due to the perceived increasing intricacy of the society, and the reality of the finiteness and limitations of government resources that could be put at the disposal of effective neighbourhood policing

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Results