Spatial Variations and Planning Implications of Urban Crimes in the Bamenda Metropolis of Cameroon

Abstract

Rapid urban growth is characteristic of many cities in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the midst of such growth, insecurity and crimes represent a major emerging issue in these urban centres where the fear of crime and violence persists. The case of Bamenda, a primate city in Cameroon comes to mind. Uncontrolled urban growth has created breeding grounds for the upsurge of urban crimes which show spatial variations in their nature and distribution. In the context of Bamenda, previous studies have investigated city planning with respect to land use and the environment, land use and wetlands, housing patterns and green space development. These studies fall short of providing scientific information on the nature and spatial variations in urban crime and their implications for urban planning. In this study, we purposively sample 150 respondents drawn from targeted neighbourhoods. Using the correlation analysis at 0.5 level of significance, we established a significant relationship (0.784) between urban crime and city planning and development deficiencies on the one hand, and a significant relationship (0.84) between urban crime and neighbourhood socio-economic characteristics on the other hand. The intensity and distribution of urban crimes show a close link with mishaps in city planning and development. This calls for coordinated efforts to support the revision, upgrading and respect of urban planning regulations to ensure adequate access to neighbourhoods in a bid to stem the prevalence of crime. Such a strategy is necessary to support the global objective (at least from a micro perspective) of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11.