NCJ Number
217081
Journal
Acta Criminologica Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 156-179
Date Published
2006
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study used the empirical-phenomenological method to examine farmers' experience of crime in the area of South Africa's Transvaal Sugar Limited, in order to develop a suitable crime-prevention model.
Abstract
It was clear from interviews with the farmers that theft of farm equipment, home burglaries, and theft from vehicles was a serious problem that was affecting their quality of life. They received little help from the South African Police, so they relied on private security and their own methods of crime prevention. The latter included the installation of alarm systems and the erection of physical barriers. They also instructed and encouraged farm workers to be aware of strangers lurking on or near the farms and to report any suspicions that someone might be planning an attack on the farm. The farmers lived with continual anxiety about crime. They rarely left their farms at night, and some would lay awake at night out of fear of a burglary. The research was conducted from 2003 to 2004. All senior staff members (n=17) of the various farms of Transvaal Sugar Ltd. were interviewed. They consisted mainly of farm managers and their immediate superiors and/or subordinates. The interviews focused on participants' attitudes toward, beliefs about, and responses to crimes committed on farm property. Transcripts of the interviews were made and analyzed in order to identify themes across interviews. A 13-item bibliography