INTRODUCTION

The Mauritius Crime Trend Study responded to the following objectives and followed the methodology indicated below.

The objectives of the study were to:

Determine the nature and extent of crime in Mauritius. This would include determining the actual extent of those crimes which were under-reported to the police.

Establish emerging crime trends in Mauritius. This would include crimes which the police were aware of but have not yet developed strategies for, as well as those crimes which they are largely unaware of.

Establish how the nature and extent of crime in Mauritius, as well as the emerging crime trends, impact upon policing strategies. This part of the study would lead to the creation of, or would develop awareness of, proactive policing methods to address current and future crime trends.

The methodology utilized was the following:

A set of four research tools were used to collect valid, reliable and contextually sensitive information to address the research questions listed above. The full methodology is contained in Annex 3. These were:

Docket Analysis: This entailed the systematic analysis of the information contained within a random selection 2 385 police dockets to obtain information on the dynamics and nature of crime in Mauritius. To complement the information in the docket analysis, 398 victims of specific crimes as identified through the dockets were interviewed.

Law Enforcement Workshops: This entailed four workshops held, including one in Rodrigues, comprising a range of law enforcement officials, including Divisional Commanders, Police, Customs Officials, as well as representatives from Prisons, the Coast Guard and Judiciary. The information obtained from these law enforcement agencies was used to determine the trends in crime across recent years. At the workshop, 365 self-administered law enforcement surveys were completed.

Civilian Survey: The civilian survey entailed the administration of 6 993 opinion surveys amongst random members of the population of Mauritius to measure their experience of crime and their responses to crime. An opinion survey was also administered with 1 262 civilians by the police officers to determine their attitudes and perceptions of various crime related issues.

Focus groups and in-depth interviews: This entailed gathering small discussion groups for the purposes of addressing some of the more sensitive questions surrounding crime and victimization. These issues may include the motive for the crime, experiences of the victim and dynamics of the crime.

Scope and expected results

The study was expected to be able to identify prevalent crimes in the country and recommend ways in which these can be resolved more effectively and speedily. By the same token it should be able to identify crime trends as they emerge so as to engage in a crime prevention strategy to nip the problem in the bud.

The expected results of the information gathered will show a matrix of the extent and nature of each crime generating grounds for discussion on the best manner to combat it, and the type of crime that Mauritius might face in the future generating a crime prevention strategy that will encompass not only law enforcement agencies but the public at large.

This is the report that is being launched today. It must be noted, nevertheless, that the sheer statistical amount of information accrued through the survey is unwieldy. To this end, this report extracts the principal findings and recommendations of an otherwise voluminous piece of work.

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