Crime in
Tanzania is rising according to new research findings by Twaweza, a public
policy engagement group.
The findings
show that three out of ten citizens experienced theft last year, with half of
all Tanzanians having had something stolen from them and that the majority of
the citizens, almost 84 per cent, believe they are likely to be affected by youth
gangs in Dar es Salaam, such as the Panya Road Gang.
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| Young boys from the so called Panya road gang |
Two out of
ten citizens report they witnessed violence during the local government
elections in December 2014.
In a report
titled, “Our Safety? Citizens’ views on security and justice,” Twaweza said the
findings are based on data collected from 1401 respondents across Mainland
Tanzania in February and March.
Despite the
relatively high rates of theft, fears about gangs and incidents of political
violence, eight out of ten citizens reported that they never, or rarely, feel
unsafe in their own communities and neighbourhoods.
Given the
reported low trust in the police, many communities have local security groups
who provide basic law enforcement; however, these local security groups are
often untrained.
Twaweza Executive
Director Aidan Eyakuze said three messages are clear in the data.
First,
although many citizens report feeling safe in their own communities, they have
also experienced burglary, are afraid of being affected by gangs and have
observed political violence.
Secondly,
ordinary citizens believe the police or justice system favours the elite. In
addition, ordinary citizens have seen an increase in police violence in the
past two years, which discourages them from pursuing formal mechanisms of
justice.
Finally,
citizens are willing to take matters into their own hands as shown by heavy
reliance on local security groups.