To better understand crime and public perceptions of safety in Tanzania, victimisation surveys were carried out in Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Mtwara. A fundamental requirement for the prevention and control of crime is the availability of reliable data. To this end the Arusha Municipal Council, the Dar es Salaam City Council (Safer Cities) and the Mtwara Spatial Development Initiative located within the National Development Corporation, in partnership with the Mtwara-Mikandani Town and Mtwara Rural Councils, requested that such a study to be undertaken in each of their constituencies.

The surveys consisted of 1,150 interviews in Arusha and 1,100 each in Dar es Salaam and Mtwara. The demographic component of the survey gathered information on 13,373 persons living in 3,256 households across the three areas. The average household size was 4,2 people in Arusha and 4,1 in both Mtwara and Dar es Salaam—figures that compare favourably with the 2002 Census. Over three quarters of all household members over the age of 19 were not engaged in any income earning activities. Indeed, only 11% enjoyed intermittent earnings and a miniscule 5% had a regular income from formal sector employment.

In March 2000, two studies were conducted into crime and violence in Dar es Salaam – a victim survey and a series of in-depth interviews on violence against women. The studies were initiated by the Safer Cities project in Dar es Salaam and UN Habitat in Nairobi to gain an understanding of crime levels in communities within the city council’s area of jurisdiction to assist in the development of a crime reduction strategy for the city.

Based on methodologies similar to those used in South African cities for gathering crime information and supplementing police statistics, the study consisted of a household victim survey of 1 000 interviews and 42 in-depth interviews with women who had experienced violence and abuse. The questionnaires, refined through the experiences and results of surveys conducted in South Africa, were adapted to the Dar es Salaam environment.

The Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) started in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam in 1992 under an initiative known as the Sustainable Dar es Salaam Project. Dar es Salaam was one of the first demonstration cities in Africa where environmental planning and management were revitalized under the SCP, a joint initiative of UNHABITAT and UNEP to implement Agenda 21.

Others cities were Ismailia in Egypt, Accra in Ghana, Dakar in Senegal, Ibadan in Nigeria, and Lusaka in Zambia.

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Dar es Salaam is the main industrial and commercial centre of the United Republic of Tanzania. It is a coastal city, located along the Indian Ocean. It has a population of approximately 2.5 million with an annual growth rate of 4.3%.

Rapid growth has provided the urban economy with many economic opportunities, and has also led to the rapid deterioration of environmental conditions.

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Violent crime and delinquency threaten the quality of life of urban dwellers in Dar es Salaam. During the 1990’s the annual crime increase in Dar es Salaam was 8,1%. Not only does this divert scarce resources from urban social development, but it also constitutes a serious impediment to the city’s economic development. Globally, crime patterns are changing.Offenders are getting younger and violent crime is becoming more common.

Previous research indicates that violence and crime in urban areas is escalating. The roots of such violence may not be clearly understood but declining incomes and work opportunities,and the consequent frustration, particularly for youth, are important factors. Violence, crime and anti-social behaviour are thought to be products of social inequality, social exclusionand a lack of institutional and social control.