Determinants of perceived insecurity in a low-income neighborhood in Accra, Ghana

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.