Abubakar Ahmadu, Onyegbulem Emeka Valentine

Keywords: Property crime, police, report, victimization, crime victims

Abstract

It is well acknowledged that the degree of offences determines victims’ decision to report criminal victimization in any society. Criminal victimisation has significant impact on the victim as well as the society at large, because crime victims suffer several loss, injuries and death in most cases. Therefore, the need to report crime victimization to appropriate authorities cannot be over emphasised. In the light of the above, this study examines psychosocial and economic factors affecting the act of reporting property crime victimization to police in Wukari, Taraba State. The study interrogated the psychosocial and economic factors affecting the act of reporting property crime victimization to the police. This was necessitated by the seeming gap in previous study which focused on the predisposing factors of property crime and the commonest property crime perpetuated in Wukari. The survey research design was adopted. Closed-ended questionnaires were administered to three hundred and seventy one (371) respondents. Data were analyzed using relevant statistical tools which include simple frequency, mean ratings, and linear regression. The study found that most cases of property crime victimization were not reported to the police and that psychosocial and economic factors significantly influence victims of property crime to report to the police. Economic cost of reporting and victims’ attitude of seeing their victimization as a divine manifestation contributed significantly to discouraging them from reporting to the police. The study recommends that there is the need for crime victims to report cases of victimisation to appropriate authorities.

Authors Biographies

Abubakar Ahmadu

Department of Sociology, Federal University

Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria

[email protected]

Onyegbulem Emeka Valentine

Department of Sociology, Federal University Lafia

[email protected]

View PDF