Abstract:
This study examines perception of safety and security, factors that
influence this perception and the consequences of feeling insecure
within Nima, a low-income neighborhood in Accra, Ghana.
The study is important because previous studies on crime and
insecurity in urban areas in Ghana have concentrated on interurban
analysis, with limited attention given to the safety and
security dynamics within a particular neighborhood. Our study
thus provides an insider perspective on security and safety issues
in the Nima neighborhood. A mixed-methods approach was used
in both the data collection and analysis of the results. The study
found that a majority of the respondents perceived Nima to be
safe, which is contrary to outsiders’ perception and media reports
about the neighborhood. For those who had some safety concerns,
it was revealed that their safety concerns were largely
accounted for by neighborhood-level factors such as availability
of street lights and social cohesion and these contributed to
behavioral and psychological reactions to feelings of insecurity
among some respondents. We argue that addressing safety concerns
of individuals will be more effective if broader structural
issues are addressed in the neighborhood.
