CHALLENGES OF COMMUNITY POLICING AND

COMMUNITY SAFETY IN THE SLUM COMMUNITY

OF WESTPOINT,
DISTRICT NUMBER 7, MONTSERRADO COUNTY, LIBERIA

GRACE AKOSE BADU

Degree Project in Criminology Malmö University

15 Credits, One-year Master Faculty of Health and Society
Programme 205 06 Malmö
August 2022
CHALLENGES OF COMMUNITY POLICING AND
COMMUNITY SAFETY IN THE SLUM
COMMUNITY OF WESTPOINT, DISTRICT NUMBER
7, MONTSERRADO COUNTY, LIBERIA

GRACE AKOSE BADU

Grace, B. Challenges of Community policing and community safety in slum Community of

WestPoint, Liberia. Degree project in Criminology 15 Credits. Malmö University: Faculty
of Health and Society, Department of Criminology, 2022.

Abstract

Background: Police are most at risk, and so are the residents due to the vulnerability in the slum community of
WestPoint. Despite the efforts of the government to improve community living standards by encouraging the
role of Community policing in crime prevention, there is instead an increase in the crime rate and insecurity in
the neighborhoods.

Aim: To assess the development and practice of Community policing to understand the challenges and the
reasons for the ineffectiveness of policing in WestPoint, Greater Monrovia, Liberia.

Methods: A qualitative method was employed using open-ended survey questions. Malmö University library
and google scholar search engines were utilized with several inclusion criteria to arrive at 48 articles and books
for this review.

Results: To be able to implement Community policing, there should be competency among police officers and
more trained officers in the force, Police also need to have a good view of their power or authority and
administer their duties in the appropriate form and manner, increasing good communication between the Police
and the residents.

Conclusion: In the light of the restraints, implementation of Community policing in WestPoint has failed due to
its inadequacy to collaborate with partners between security agencies and communities; failure to protect
volunteers of information among the community resident; failure to provide awareness to WestPoint residents on
the importance to uphold the existing laws and procedures of the public safety and security.

Keywords: Community policing; Efficacy; Disorganization Neighborhood; Crime prevention.

Words: 338

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A few people deserve my gratitude for making this thesis possible. Almighty God, thank you

for giving me the grace and strength to complete this program. I also want to thank the

WestPoint resident and the police administrators for their assistance. Most importantly, I want

to express my gratitude to my wonderful husband and kids for their unwavering support and

confidence in me.

GRACE AKOSE BADU

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction ………………………………………….……………………………………………1

2. Definition of Term …………………………………………………………………………………2

2.1. What is Community…………………………..................2

2.2. Community Policing ……………………........................2

3. Aim, Purpose, and Research Question ……….……….……...............................................................2

4. Theoretical Framework ……………………………………................................................................3

4.1. Broken Windows Theory ………………………………................................................................3-4

4.2. Social Disorganization Theory …………………………................................................................4-5

5. Previous Research. …………………………………….……………………………………….5-8

6. The Concept on Community Safely………….…………..............................................................8

7. Background of The Study ………………….……………………………......................................9-10

8. Methodology …………………………………….….………….......................................................10

9. Social Structure…………… ……………………………………..................................................11-12

10. Demographics Characteristics of Sample……………………………………………………………12

10.1. Unit of Observation ……………………………………. 12
10.2. Target Population ………………………………………. 12
10.3. Ethical Consideration……………………………………. 13
10.4. Population, Sample Size, Sampling Technique………….13
10.5. Data collection Instrument……………………………….14
10.6. presentations of Data Result………………………………14

11. Summary of Key Findings…………………………………………………………………………14-21

12. Discussion…………………………………………………………................................................21- 22

13. Limitations...……………………………………………………………………………………….22

14. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………23

15.Recommendations and Suggestions for Future Research ………………………………………….23-24

16.Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………...........26-32

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1. Introduction
Globally and regionally, the security environment is still plagued by problems and future
possibilities that necessitate innovative policing techniques. According to Goldsmith and
Sheptycki (2007), community policing is a strategy for educating the public about the value of
crime prevention rather than waiting for incidents to occur and be reported to the police.
Because of this, the particular Community can legitimately determine its own security needs,
which might not coincide with the public perspective. Although many tactics have been
employed, none of them acknowledge community involvement, including conducting meetings
with shareholders and administrators, using information and communication technology, street
illumination, and police patrols. By doing so, they might work with security organizations to
monitor, document, and lessen criminal activity in the neighborhood.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of the police in societies. They are in charge of
preserving social law and order and assisting with the execution of legislative initiatives. In
Liberia, many administrations have tried numerous times to restructure the Policing to match
current police ideals. In most nations where community policing is practiced, the situation
where police behave inhospitably with other members of society and are like uninvited outsiders
is no longer acceptable. Liberia cannot afford to ignore the global paradigm change in policing
because it is a member of the global village.
Such crimes include "snatch-and-grabs" involving electronics, handbags, backpacks, and purses
as well as vehicle break-ins that are classified as theft. Throughout the nation, these crimes of
opportunity frequently take place in heavily populated locations (Overseas Security Advisory
Council, 2020). These crimes are typically committed by young male attackers between the ages
of 13 and 25. These criminals occasionally operate in small groups to target unwitting victims
while carrying knives and other dangerous weapons.
Liberia has a long history of sociocultural, political, and economic divisions based on class,
ideology, ethnicity, and state of origin. It goes without saying that these divisions have
repercussions related to social tensions and conflicts with significant security risks within the
nation and abroad. Such socio-cultural structures have influenced how policing is organized and
other useful social control strategies. These patterns were widespread up until the time of
colonialism, when American colonial policing techniques predominated. The Liberian policing
and security system faced many difficulties as a result of these multi-cultural compositions. It is
important to recognize and raise awareness of Community and Community policing, which are
considered relevant to this research project, in light of this study.

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2. Definition of Terms
2.1 What is Community?

Without delay, it is essential to understand the concept of Community, given its

central position in Community policing discourse. Ekong (2003:67-8) defined
Community as an assembly of families habitually living together within a definite
geographical location, living in a state of collaborative interdependence, supporting
some primary social institutions, and having some measure of political freedom
concerning other communities. Ekong (2003) joined that Community embraces
people within a common locality having shared interests and different behavioral
patterns, manifest mainly in the production, distribution, and consumption of goods
and services, socialization, and mutual support.

2.2 Community policing means an initiative where security agencies and local
NGOs work in a proactive collaboration with the Community towards mobilizing
resources to promote longterm safety in the Community.

3. Aim, Purpose, and Research Questions

Through a case study of WestPoint, Greater Monrovia, Liberia, this study seeks to evaluate the

Challenge of Community Policing in Crime Prevention. Community policing is acknowledged

as an effective strategy for improving security, serenity, and peace in various nations on a global

scale (Mastrofski, Willis & Kochel, 2007). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify the

challenges of community policing and community safety. The following research inquiries will

assist direct the study as a result:

1. What opinions do locals and police in West Point have about the use of community policing?

2. How effective has community policing been since it was founded?

3. What are the challenges facing the implementation of community policing and community

safety in West Point?

4. What are the effects of community policing on community safety?

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 4. Theoretical Framework

The research was hinged on two main concepts: The Broken Window Theory and the
Social Disorganization Theory. These concepts link between variables to explain
natural phenomena.
The theories are discussed below:

4.1 The Broken Window Theory

The paradigm was published by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling, American
criminologists, in 1982; the theory looks at the relationship between crime and
disorder. Wilson and Kelling argue that local citizens are particularly concerned
about public order and that disorder and crime are liked. This theory is grounded on
the assumption that lawlessness and crime are closely related in the developmental
sequence. For example, if a window in a house is broken and is not repaired in time,
all the remaining windows will also be broken soon. Because the unrepaired window
is an indication that nobody cares about what is happening in the house, breaking
more windows will not lead to any permission. Vandalism may occur anywhere after
the sense of collective regard and civility obligations are reduced by behaviors that
indicate the absence of collective regard.

According to Wilson & Kelling (1982) criminological theory that states the visible signs of
crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages
further disorder and crime, including serious crimes. The theory recommends that policing
approach that targets lesser crimes, such as lingering, public drinking, jaywalker and fare
evasion, vandalism, create a sphere of order and lawfulness, preventing more serious
crimes. Police officers and social psychologists agree that if a window on the house is
broken and not repaired, the rest of the windows will be broken soon. Window breaking
does not happen wide because determined window breakers inhabit some places, whereas
window lovers densely populate some; instead, one unrepaired broken window signals that
nobody cares, so breaking the other charges nothing.

Wilson and Kelling contend that environments with abandoned property, windows
are broken, weeds grow, adults stop rebuking badly behaved children lead to families
moving out and adults who are unattached moving in. Therefore, individuals start to

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utilize the streets less, making the Community susceptible to invasion by criminals.
Such Community withdrawal results in a surge in sales of drugs, nagging, and
prostitution. This has been the chief motive of Community Policing programs. The
notion that unattended behavior brings about the breakdown of the Community to
pay attention and focus on lawlessness and policing that maintains order.

Incivilities are explained as a result of a community that suffers disadvantages

economically instead of an indication of a lawless and unorderly community, and
combating crime is more significant than ill-tempered in fighting for long-term crime
reduction. To validate the theory entirely, it is shown that disorder causes fear that
causes crimes, a breakdown of social controls, and disorganization. This breakdown
of social controls, in turn, causes crimes. Finally, crime is to be seen to increase
levels of disorder.

4.2 Social Disorganization Theory

Traditionally, social disorganization was viewed as a characteristic of the social

structure of a neighborhood as opposed to the characteristic of the people who lived
in the area (Brisman, 2018). Newburn (2018) found (in support of Shaw & McKay
1942) that a high level of juvenile delinquency prevailed in a socially disorganized
area which is often characterized by poverty, residential mobility, and racial
heterogeneity. Hipp et al. (2009) also draw attention to another construct of social
disorganization that contributed to neighborhood crime as community inequality and
ethnic heterogeneity. Although park et al. (1925) suggested that a growing city can
overlap and compete, thereby generating both social organization and the emergence
of social disorganization, they argue that the forms of social disorganization this
growth process causes are factors that generate crime. Therefore, that crime would
be higher in disorganized communities as opposed to organized communities.

The notion that social disorganization contributed to crime was further developed by
Shaw & McKay (1942), who argue that crime was an expected outcome of abnormal
conditions. They posited that social disorganization is a breeding ground for criminal
activities and delinquency amidst ethnic heterogeneity, high rate of poverty, and
visible evidence of urban decay or physical deterioration (Newburn, 2008; Brisman
et al., 2018), which are very synonymous with rundown areas that formed the major
parts of areas like WestPoint neighborhoods. Shaw and McKay argued that it is not
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the people in the community but that such type of characteristics of particular
problem areas, which they denoted as 'zones of transition' is the nature of social
order in such Community, either organized or disorganized, that generates crime
which by transition causes an area to be even more socially disorganized than other
areas in the neighborhood. In an argument somewhat resonance with learning theory,
Shaw and McKay further postulated that delinquent values and habits are transmitted
from generation to generation in such communities. By citing 'cultural transmission'
(see Newburn, 2008), they posited that young ones learned various mannerisms
(conducts, speech, gestures, attitudes) of deviants and criminal activities (such as
stealing, shoplifting, car theft, etc.) from the older ones in the area.

Although several criminological theories have argued that individual characteristics

have something to do with the causes of crime, to specify a theory that explains how
the structural characteristics of areas caused people's behavior to change, Bursik,
1988; Sampson, 1985; Sampson and Groves, 1989, all suggested that social
disorganization impacted people's behavior by weakening social institutions and
processes of informal social control in communities. They re-conceptualized that the
emergence of weak social bonds was produced by social disorganization, which
contributed to higher crime rates (See Brisman et al., 2018).

5. Previous Research

The origins of Community policing are often traced back to Kelling and Wilson's
broken windows theory from the early 1980s, which argues that crime thrives in
communities where disorderly behavior is ignored (Cosstleon, 2019). The theory
suggested that crime and the fear of crime could be stopped, by managing street life,
to achieve public order. What such administration and arrangement would look like
was defined by each Community. The broken windows theory and connected
practices grew in popularity in the United States during heightened incarceration for
drug-related offenses sparked by the War on Drugs. This helps to disclose why
scholars have argued that the device of Community policing and increased police
presence has not been deeper community involvement but rather a stop and frisk
policy (Cosstleon, 2019).

Weisheit etal. (1994) believe that Community policing surfaced due to several social trends
and movements ( i.e., victims' rights and civil rights), which developed in demands on Police

5
to be more liable to the public by being more responsive and connected to the Community.
Bucqueroux (2006) argues that Community policing is revealed in response to two unintended
outgrowths of a contemporizing policing endured. First, ultramodern technology, police radio,
and command vehicles changed the Community and the Police. Formerly, officers developed a
particular relationship with the Community and demanded the community resides to be willing
to partake information. Police applied scientific operation to policing, which created the
perception police were liable for keeping the Community safe. Long ago, the Community
understood that eventually the Community was responsible for reaffirming the social morals
that promoted public safety.
Police- community cooperation has come a practice in utmost corridor of the world that's
sought to reduce crime situations and ameliorate police- community engagement, which plays
an important part and serves as the backbone of crime forestallment in numerous countries.
Also, in proposition, it offers harmony, safety, and security, a sound political system, and
promotes profitable growth (Weisburd & Braga, 2007).
Community policing is comprised of both a gospel (way of thinking) and an organizational
strategy (way of carrying out that gospel) that allows and enables the Police and the
Community to work together in working problems of crime, complaint, and safety issues in
other to ameliorate the quality of life for everyone in the Community. The views of Wilson &
Kelling (1982) and Nagare (2007) both present Community policing as a strategy for restoring
order.
Fitzgerald (1989) states that Community policing maintains problem- working at the grassroots
position, challenging that the elderly officers in the police force use their authority to empower
their inferiors. This ideal is to help patrol officers assigned to Community policing laboriously
and creatively resolve issues as they arise without the usual regulatory reference to their elders.
Fitzgerald also states that the responsibility of the elderly officer shifts from functional control
to guiding their inferiors so that they're guided by reason grounded on agreement with the
communities they serve, rather than by the book rules.
Generally, it's agreed that Community policing requires problem- working and community
obligation, emphasizing police- community hookups to break the underpinning problems of
crime, the fear of crime, physical and social complaint, and neighborhood decay (Trojanowicz
and Bucqueroux, 1990; Palmiotto, 2000). Also, the savant Dictionary of Criminology defines
Community policing as

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The philosophy of policing involves community- predicated problem- working strategies to
handle the fundamental causes of crime and complaint and fear of crime and sustain
consolation. It’s a practice through which crime control is shared orco- produced with the
public and a means of developing communication with the public, thus enhancing the quality
of life of communities and erecting police legitimacy (Virta, 2006 p52).
The literature substantially relates the primary ideal of Community policing as positive police-
community connections, which are achieved through community engagement, and by
emphasizing collaboration and forestallment (Cordner and Biebel Perkins, 2005). Bucqueroux
2007) uses a medical analogy to explain Community policing command officers are society's
exigency room croakers returning fleetly to a circumstance, whereas community police are the
family croakers who have the time and chance to treat an illness to help complaint and advance
good health.
Fielding (2005) proposes Community policing isn't a single notion but could mean a
discrepancy to rapid-fire response and enforcement- acquainted policing. Hence, bobbies are
near to the Community, a process in which crime control is participated with the public or a
means of developing communication with the public and concern groups (Fielding, 1995 25).
Encyclopedically, it's agreed that Community policing requirements to be a long- term strategy
with long- term issues to develop decision- making processes and a police culture that fosters
the conception (Skogan and Hartnett, 1998). Still, Skogan and Hartnett disagreement practices
will vary from place to place to respond to the unique circumstances faced by Communities.
In Africa, although the frequency of the felony of crimes and petty offenses within the machine
confines in Nigeria has significantly increased in recent times, there has been a tremendous
conspicuous drop over the once 30 times. Crimes within the machine confines which are
violent and thefts and thievery in Nigeria, have significantly dropped to about 75 from around
96 in themid-2000s (Riedel & Rinehart, 2012). The rate of ongoing crimes considered violent
in Nigeria may be associated with characteristics incidents, with violent crimes entailing
gangs, firearms, or drug- trade having a lower ratio of being reported than other types of
criminal activities that are violent (Dauvergne & Li, 2006).
The crime situation in Liberia is more intense within the urban areas due to the high
level of cost of living, high rates of unemployment, urban poverty, social bond, anti-
social behavior, disorganization, and moral decadence confronting the urban area, as
opined by Ndikaru (2011).

7
The urban crimes preponderance within Liberia shows marginalization, deprivation
and amenities, and infrastructural breakdown that are supposed to control or manage
criminal activities within the urban cities. Therefore, Reynald (2012) observed the
emerging gap between the poor and the rich affects the Community through
increased violence in WestPoint Community.

In Liberia, around 2019, the Community policing concept grew in popularity as the
idea of its implementation was founded. The units developed significant
understanding and proficiencies in establishing and running Community Policing
Forums. The concept is enshrined in the Liberia National Police Act, 2015, section
(2). The Liberian constitution, the Liberia National Police Service Act in 2015, and
the strategies plan for law enforcement agencies and the public. Although all the
laws have passed, the concept seems to be experiencing challenges in its
implementation, as evidenced by the police officers and media reports on crime in
the slum area, mainly those densely populated areas.

Several accounts had been given pertaining to criminal activities involving

violence, snatchand-grabs of electronics, purses, bags, backpacks, and vehicle break-
ins categorized as theft undertaken by criminals in the WestPoint Community.

6.The Concept of Community safety

Community safety can imply the involvement of a wide range of groups within the community
dealing with a wide range of harms, which might include transportation, health, or the
environment (Hughes, 2002a; Pease, 2002). These harms could include terrorism, pandemic, or
environmental hazards. On the other side, it may be more closely linked to governmental
initiatives that, despite using the term "community safety," actually have a more limited focus
on "crime prevention" or "crime reduction" (Byrne and Pease, 2003). Since there is no
universally recognized definition of community safety, Stenson (2005: 266) contends that the
following are generally understood to be its components: "public order,"

In reality, wealthy communities or places with low crime rates typically don't have a lot of
formally organized activities going on. Instead, community safety in this area rests on people'
willingness to support private security, whether it be through technology, patrols, or both, as
well as their active participation in programs like neighborhood watch.

8
 7. Background of the Study

Picture of WestPoint Liberia, Montserrado County, Greater Monrovia (Credit: Mark Fischer)

The Liberia Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997 and was an internal conflict in Liberia. About
250,000 people were killed during the war, which ultimately led to the Economic Community
of West African States and the United Nations forming an alliance. However, there was no
durable peace, and the second Civil War started out in 1999. The impact of the First War is one
of the worst in Africa, displacing many Liberians and forcing others into refugee camps in
neighboring nations. Throughout the battle, juvenile soldiers were utilized. Gerdes, F. (2013)
The civil war claimed the lives of one out of every seventeen persons in the nation, displaced
the majority of the remaining population, and destroyed a once-viable economic infrastructure.
Additionally, the fighting spread to Liberia's neighbors. Sesay et al (2009).

The second Liberian civil war began in 1999 and ended in 2003. During this period, ECOWAS
intervened to end the siege of Monrovia by rebels and banished Former President Taylor to
Nigeria, where he remained until his capture in 2006 and transfer to The Hague for trial. More
than 260,000 people were slain and almost 1 million were displaced at the end of the final war.
In 2005, the majority of this number remained internally displaced. In January 2006, former
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who was previously a Charles Taylor supporter, was
inaugurated and the National Transitional Government of Liberia ceased to exist. Charles Taylor
was convicted of rape and acts of sexual violence, advancing child soldiers, and illegal
possession of weapons in 2003. Taylor contested these countercharges but was ultimately
convicted of 50 years in prison after his victims testified against him.

9
Fisher, et al (1992) Access to justice, safety, and the ability to live without fear has been a
significant issue in Liberia as a result of the civil war, and WestPoint is no exception, especially
given the level of abject poverty in that town, where the poor and disadvantaged are
concentrated (i.e., the Elderly, Children, Disable). If crime can be minimized, social and
economic development will improve, which will benefit the Liberian economy and the quality
of life for a huge portion of the population. The Police play a crucial role in enhancing
WestPoint's safety and security, but so do the community's people. Since the introduction of
Community policing in Liberia in 2019, cooperation between the police and the public has taken
a new direction (Nagare 2007.22).

Brantingham et al. (1995) argue that urban planning and layout play a significant role in the
spread of criminal activity in all settings (1995). WestPoint is a dilapidated community that
lacks adequate design and layout; the Community is the source of crime, and the spatial
structure of the Community creates the risk of being a victim. According to Brantingham et al.
(1995), human constructs are the urban surroundings that foster criminal activity and instill
terror. The victim of a crime is the source of support for the Police as they work to control
crime. Therefore, successful crime prevention and detection rely primarily on a more productive
connection between the citizens of WestPoint and the police.

8.Methodology
Research design is the procedure, structure, and strategy of investigating what is
discovered or obtaining answers to research questions and direct variance. A research
design guides the researcher in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting observed facts. It
also focuses on study design, study population, sampling techniques, data collection
instruments, data collection procedures, and data analysis. The researcher will consider
the use of the case study design.

Yin (2009) notes that the case study design deal with a real-life, contemporary context
or setting. However, Stake (2005) also notes that case study research chooses what is
to be studied and not a methodology. Yin (2009) noted that the case study may be a
tangible institution, individual, or a small group. A case may also be a community or a
specific project (Yin, 2009). With this, the slum community of WestPoint was
considered the case study area in District No. 7, Monrovia, Liberia.

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9.Social Structure
The case study suitably described in-depth experiences or situations of Community
Policing and Community and challenges of WestPoint Nine Social Structures

The Township of WestPoint is in Greater Monrovia and located at the promontory

which juts into the Atlantic Ocean between the Mesurado and Saint Paul Rivers. West
Point is one of Monrovia's most densely peopled slums, with six (6) slum communities
Central WestPoint, Fish Town, Grandcess Yard, Police Station, Power Plant, and
WestPoint.

West Point is in Electoral District 7. The police station is located in the central part of
West Point; it's called Zone 2(depot 1)

Toilets are built over the water near a sewer line emptied into the Mesurado River in
West Point. (credit: Jim Tuttle-NYTimes).
The researcher will collect data for the study from the 13,000 residents within the six
sub-communities of WestPoint, as to their experiences and recollection for the period
of 2019-2020, which will include youth and adults, especially from high School
Students.
The Depot has four (4) subdivisions: Community Service Department – this
department deals with awareness in Community with community leaders and dwellers
on problem-solving at the community level if it is not resolved before going to the

11
police station. The community service also encourages citizens not to keep quiet about
rape and other forms of domestic violence or criminal act. Traffic Session- regulate
free overflows of business traffic in the Community. Women and Children Protection
Session- this session is responsible for intervention in domestic violence cases, Force
Cases, Child Abuse, and No persistent Child support. Crime Service department-
deals with felonious cases, burglary, identify theft, murder, assault, and sexual assault.

Man (above) spends his days pushing loads of water through West Point. (credit: Jim Tuttle-
NYTimes).

10. Demographic Characteristics of the sample

10.1 Units of Observation The observation units were the residents and the police officers

involved in implementing the Community policing. The key informants were the police from

the depot, community leader, the youth chairperson, and other prominent residents.

10.2 Target Population The researcher will collect data for the study from the 13,000 residents

within the six sub communities of WestPoint, as to their experiences and recollection for the

period of 2019-2020, which will include youth, High School Students. The study targeted a

12
sample of 10 residents from WestPoint and 5 police officers. All of the 15 participants to which

were males.

10. 3 Ethical Considerations

The researcher considered all ethical issues related to treating the participant's views
confidential. The participants' identities will also be kept confidential due to the sensitive nature
of the study. Before collecting the data from the participants, the researcher explains to the
participants the purpose of the survey through email. The researcher provided a consent form to
individual participants to solicit their consent to the study before the data collection process.
The consent form assured that the participants' information will not be used for any financial
gain by the researcher but rather for academic purposes and to assure them that all ethical norms
governing research of such nature are adhered to.

10.4 Population, Sample Size and Sampling Technique

In research, population is the sum of all the respondents or members in a particular group or

entity that might be studied in the study (Kumar, 2007). However, those who are accessible are

likely to participate in the research (Gall & Borg, 2007). The population from which the

researcher is going to use to formulate data is very essential to this study because it is

believed by the researcher that proceeding statements above implies that the research

requires a population in order to succeed. That is, the population of the study should be

stated here very plainly as to who and what is to be part of the population. The population

is made up of conceivable traits, events, elements, people, subjects or observation that

relates the situation of interest to the study to be conducted.1 The sample of the study is a

smaller representation of the population.2 The sampling and purposive techniques

determined the number of respondents for the study. Massaquoi (2016) asserted, “The sampling

techniques are procedures used to collect data. The purposive sampling technique determines

who is qualified for the interview.

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10.5 Data Collection Instrument

The instrument employed for data collection was an interview, composed of open-ended

and closed questions. According to Massaquoi (2016, p.72), “Data collection is the process of

gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an established system, enabling

one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes”. Based the use of this instrument, the

researcher can rest assured to collect quality and truth data from respective respondents.

More besides, the structured interview is most relevant for this survey. Additionally, Since the

study population is large, the researcher will use the purposive sampling technique to select the

sample size.

10.6. Presentations of Data Results

The researcher collected, entered and analyzed the data through SPSS. Additionally, the results

were graphed through Excel and results are preferably recorded in percentage. Therefore, the

following graphs shows the results from the data collected from the respondents in West Point.

Basically, fifteen (15) respondents participated in the survey, ten (10) community residents and

five (5) police officers.

11. Summary of Key findings

The study identified the key constraints to implementation of Community policing

and community safely in the slum community of WestPoint are as follows: Poor
policing, insecurity, poor customer service in the police force, lack of civic society
collaboration in solving collective problem, increased trust and improved community
relations.

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Gender

Table 11.1 shows the gender of the respondents who participated in the survey. The graph
indicates that all the fifteen (15) respondents were male, from both the community and the
nearby police station in WestPoint.

Age

Table 11.2 shows the age range of respondents. From the graphical report of the data, the result
shows that majority of the respondents were between the age range 30-35 years, and next were
those who fall between the age range 15-29 years. Based on this report, the result indicates most
respondents were youth and youth adults.

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Marital Status

Table 11.3 shows the marital status of the respondents. 40% of the respondents were married;
30% were single; 20% were separated and only 10% were divorced. From these results, it can
deduced that majority of the respondents were married couples.

Reasons for High Crime Rate

Table 11.4 depicts the reasons for high crime rate in the WestPoint Community. The reasons
were lack of social infrastructures (40%), unemployment & lack of opportunities (60%), poor
policing (80%), poverty (70%), bad government (40%), poor spatial layout (60%), and high cost
of living (30%). Therefore, from these reasons, it can be noted that poor policing (80%) is the
highest reasons for high crime rate in the WestPoint Community, followed by poverty (70%),
unemployment & lack of opportunities (60%) and poor spatial layout (60%).
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Educational Level

Table 11.5 shows the educational level of the respondents. It was revealed that 20% of the

respondents were in college; vocational training enrollment or completion of respondents were

20% and 60% of the respondents were high school graduates. Based on these results, the graph

proposes that majority of the respondents were completed secondary education.

Years Staying in WestPoint

Table 11.6 shows the number of years’ respondent had been residing in the WestPoint
Community. From this graph, 10% of the respondents had been living in the community for 6-
10 years; 80% had spent more than 5 years residing in WestPoint and another 10% of the
respondents had resident there for less than 5 years. It can however be indicated that most
respondents had resided in the WestPoint Community for more than 5 years.
17
Reasons for Poor Policing

Table 11.7 shows that the reasons for poor policing are lack of communication (20%); bad
government (60%); unsafe neighborhood (70%), insecurity (75%), poor spatial layout (55%);
and lack of trust (mutual trust) (65%). From the graph, there are four (4) major factors
responsible for poor policing but unsafe neighborhood (70%) and insecurity (75%) are
significant factors of influence.
Does Community Policing impact community safety?

Table 11.8 shows whether community policing impact community safety. It was revealed from
the responses of the respondents that 80% affirmed that community policing does affect
community safety.

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Challenges facing the implementation of community policing and community safety

Table 11.9 shows the challenges facing the implementation of community policing and

community safety. The graph reports the following: A poor choice of community policing

(10%); the perceived endorsement of a nefarious group or individual (40%); poor public image

of the police force (90%); poor customer service procedures within the police force (20%);

belief by the residents that crime is a source of livelihood for some people (50%); persistence

of mistrust between residents and the police (70%); equipping the police adequately (60%); and

mismanagement of confidential information by the police (60%).

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Requirements for effective community policing and community safety

Table 11.10 presents the requirements for effective community policing and community safety.
From the graph, it was revealed that, “Civic society open to collaboration and collective
problem solving (80%)”; “mature and robust government and accountable public institutions
(30%)”; “forum through which the members of the community can express their expectations of
the police (60%)”; and “established trust between the West Point residents and the police.”

Effects of Community Policing on Community Safety

20
Table 11.11 shows the effects of community policing on community safety. They were listed as

follows: improved police department efficiency (50%); improved safety for officers &

community members (30%); improved officer morale (40%); increased trust & improved

community relations (70%); freedom of information dissemination (40%); reduction of fear and

crime (80%); and freedom of loitering within environment (20%).

14. Discussions

The findings in this study are a testimony to what Sherman et al. (1989) described as a
sociological concept of place, where certain dominant characteristics and behavior of people
in a geographic location bred a community that is largely dependent on informal social control
due to the mistrust of the Police and the absence of supportive social structures. This paper
started by attempting to investigate the reason for the troubling and ineffective or inexistence
of Community policing in the WestPoint area of Montserrado County in Liberia. A staggering
finding revealed a lack of confidence and distrust in the police department regardless of the
state's amount of effort in eradicating the high rate of juvenile delinquency and crime. Citizens
depend on the Police to protect them and maintain order in the neighborhood (Weisburd &
Bragga, 2006). On the other hand, the Police who are faced with the problem of funding and
limited resources are forced to make a difficult choice of sending patrols out only when
serious crimes are committed. In doing so, the Police relinquish their traditional duty of order
maintenance by limiting their presence on the streets and thereby enabling disorderliness and
petty criminal activities to spread in the WestPoint streets and neighborhoods Clair
MacDoughall (2016).

This is an unsavory community situation which is the resonance of the argument of Wilson
and Kelling' Broken Window,' where they posited that unruly people (e.g., drunks, addicts,
rowdy people (teenagers), panhandlers, prostitutes, the mentally disturbed) who roams about
in the neighborhood, are usually disorderly and creates fear in people. Sampson &
Raudenbush (2004). If they are left uncontrolled, they multiply and cause violence and
criminal activities. Such a situation is what Wilson & Kelling (1982) referred to as a 'Broken
Window,' which will result in violence and serious crimes if left unrepaired.

21
Family, workplace, school, peer group, culture, and ethnicity form part of a larger social
network that shapes the social environment Bronfenbrenner (1994), Kirst-Ashman (2010).
Without intervention, the interaction between these factors in the microsystem often escalates
to the mesosystem of ecological development, creating an atmosphere of sustained and
progressively engaged activities in the immediate environment and ultimately progressing to
an unsustainable microsystem level of interaction (Bronfrenbrenner, 1994). This type of
interaction and level of activities between individuals and their environment is what Hirschi
(2017) posited as causing deviant, delinquent behaviors and disorderliness in the
neighborhood. Due to homogeneity of residence value, lifestyles, and characters Kirst-
Ashman, (2010). Characteristics and lifestyles such as weak bonding with the society and
absence of strong family ties increase the risk of association with delinquent peers, which
increases the risk of participating in criminal activities Elliot et al. (1979). When things
become unbearable for the people in the Community, they resort to two choices; either to
depart and vacate completely from the neighborhood for the fear or anticipation of crime or to
come together and form a collective effort to protect themselves.

The willingness of the community people to come together in solidarity to support one another
with mutual trust to exercise informal social control is what Sampson et al
(1997) called 'collective efficacy' an integral part of social disorganization theory (Brisman,
2018; Newburn, 2008). Such collaborative effort is aimed at the common good of the
neighborhood (Sutherland et al., 2013). Kirst-Ashman (2010) argued that integral
neighborhood characteristics high in interpersonal interaction, identification with the
neighborhood, and high in social connectedness are the recipe for effective collective efficacy.

However, WestPoint is a slum and an impoverished community with low social capital. Even
though this study found a high level of informal social control in the neighborhood, much of it
is termed 'Jungle justice' where people take the law into their own hands and unleash
punishment on criminals before the arrival of the Police. This is evidence of a concept called
'community disadvantage' developed from social disorganization theory (Brisman, 2018). The
absence of social capital and cultural capital, such as effective community social networks and
quality education, contributes to the lower level of collective efficacy in WestPoint.

22
15. Limitations

With the prevailing COVID pandemic hindering in-person interviews, the researcher
had to use email to conduct the survey. Moreover, the time limit for respondents to
answer the questionnaire and return then was a bit challenging, not allowing the
researcher to meet the deadline to start compiling the questionnaire.

16. Conclusions

In the light of the restraints, implementation of Community policing in WestPoint has failed
due to its inadequacy to collaborate with partners between security agencies and communities;
failure to protect volunteers of information among the community resident; failure to provide
awareness to WestPoint residents on the importance to uphold the existing laws and
procedures of the public safety and security; failure to adequately empower the Community to
public safety and security issues; persistence of mistrust between the Police and the
Community; fear of the residents to share important information between them and the Police
for fear of victimization: performance of the Community policing initiatives and community
expectations. Implementation of the Community policing program in WestPoint has therefore
not been in line with the core principles of Community policing.

17.Recommendations

Various recommendations were derived from the implementation-related challenges

discovered from the yielding findings. To counterbalance the poor public image of the Police,
the Police should develop strategies that are aimed at establishing forums through which the
residents of the community can express their expectations of the police officers in terms of
service, integrity, trust, and accountability. Officers should use friendly approaches while
conducting investigations and not be biased, besides responding promptly to community
concerns without delay. The local government should engage agencies services as the
department of culture and social services; civil society in civil education to the residents to
empower them in public safety and security, and NGOs. Finally, the government should equip
police officers with personnel and equipment to enhance their capacity to fight crime. This
enhancement with make police more efficient in the implementation of Community policing.

23
18. Suggestions for Future Research

Future research is recommended in the sequent areas: policing needs for the residents of
WestPoint in arrangement to establish the reasons beyond the poor and unfriendly relationship
between the residents and the Police; the center issues to be addressed while conducting
investigations, civic education on issues of public safety and security; and also trained more
officers to guide in the design of implementation to be applied.

24
 RESEARCH SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
My name is Grace Akose Badu, a student in the Faculty of Health and Society at Malmö
University, Sweden. In partial fulfillment of the requirement of the Masters of Arts (MA)
Degree in Criminology, I am conducting a study on the topic, CHALLENGES OF
COMMUNITY POLICING AND COMMUNITY SAFETY IN THE SLUM COMMUNITY
OF WESTPOINT, District Number 7, Montserrado County. I would like to ask you some
questions and I assure you that the responses you will give me will be treated with strict
confidentiality.

SECTION A: DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Please tick the appropriate boxes in the first section of the questionnaire.

1. Gender: Male [ ]1, Female [ ]2

2. Age: 15-29 years [ ]1, 30-35 years [ ]2, 36-45 years [ ]3, 46-59 years [ ]4, 60+ [ ]5

3. Marital status: Single [ ]1, Married [ ]2, Separated [ ]3, Divorced [ ]4

4. Educational Level: High school [ ]1, College [ ]2 Vocational training [ ]3

5. Years Stay in West Point: 0-5 years [ ]1, More than 5 years [ ]2 6-10 years [ ]3

SECTION B: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Give any reasons you think contribute to the high rate of crime in Liberia

2. What are the reasons for poor community policing in Liberia?

3. Does community policing impact community safety? Yes [ ]1, No [ ]2

4. Collectively, what are the challenges facing the implementation of community policing and

community safety?

5. What do you think are the requirements for effective community policy and community

safety?

6. What are the effects of community policing on community safety?

25
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