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1.Introduction
Security is progressively of increasing significance around the world. The historical background of housing cannot be divorced from criminal activities. In some scenarios, the level of security of a locality tends to form the basis for the measurement of its social and economic development. The security of life and properties within the built environment is of great importance to the socio-economic, health and general well-being of people around the globe (Cozens, 2008). According to Maxwell (2006), adequate security brings about safety and ensures social, economic and political order that enables a city to function well and allows its citizens to succeed in life.
Conversely, insecurity has serious negative social, economic and policy implications. It further creates a situation of fear and anxiety that affects people’s psychological state of mind and the level of their productivity (Hirst, 2013; Edelman, 2013). Thus, security is a global matter that requires urgent attention from the government and stakeholders worldwide (Morenikeji et al., 2008). According to UN-Habitat (2007), crime and violence are major threats to human security that also engender fear and insecurity.
Moreover, crime and violence are being recognized globally as an unacceptable phenomenon and abuse of a fundamental human right. Despite the fact that criminal activities occur all over, most cities remain still secure. Many of citizens are, however, neither victims of crime and violence nor perpetrators. Crime is minimal in certain parts of a city and in neighbourhoods that are well-monitored by the police and its citizens. Crime rates show that crime occurrence recorded for every 100,000 people over the period of 1980-2000, rose to 700 crimes committed; an indication that criminal activities are on the increase (Lott, 2013), even though the trend varies across the globe.
In Nigeria, serious crime has grown to nearly epidemic proportions, particularly in urbanized areas, which are categorized by rapid escalation and change, stark economic disparity and deprivation, social ineptness and insufficient government service and law enforcement capabilities (Usman et al., 2012). Most information services regard published crime statistics as grossly understated. Property crime accounts for more than half the offences, with thefts and housebreaking and entering covering 80 to 90 per cent in most years. Assaults constituted 70 to 75 per cent of all crimes against persons...