Residential Differentials in Incidence and Fear of Crime Perception in Ibadan

Abstract

The paper examines crime experienced by residents and the fear of crime events in residential areas of Ibadan. It was observed that households of the high and medium densities have higher average residential crime experience (ARCE) than average crime experienced by any household in Ibadan while households in the low density residential area have a lower ARCE. Findings on fear of crime indicate that the low density residential area has the highest mean FCEI value (1.1) followed by the medium (0.8) then the high density (0.5). The pattern of fear of crime events (FCEI) observed in Ibadan is a reverse of the pattern of residential crime magnitude (RCM) and average crime experienced (ARCE) among the three residential areas. The study suggests that strategies of dealing with crime and its fear should be done in collaboration with local communities so as to reflect the experiences and concerns of residents.

Keywords: crime, events, fear, residential area