In African countries, especially those in the west, criminal activities still remain high in spite of numerous crime prevention strategies adopted by the authorities concerned.

The cause for this increase in crime rate is sometimes related to high rate of unemployment, large number of ex-combatants created by the seemingly endless wars in the region, as well as the ostensibly unredeemable poor economic conditions in many of the countries in the region.

Another possible culprit is the increase in the use of drug and illicit substances among the youth, the unquenchable taste for wealth among the young, which sort of fuel dubious activities like rituals, armed robbery, siphoning/looting of public funds, forgery, internet scam, etc.

In West Africa and thereby, although official records would show a better performance on the part of law enforcement agencies, in reality their impact is as though as for every ten criminal eliminated, double that number literarily resurrect.

Browsing through the websites of daily newspapers, or listening to network news, it appears to one that particular crime acts have specific time to be committed. Criminality is gradually establishing itself as though it is a professional career. Within society, theft and rubbery are no more nocturnal activities; they are now common occurrences of the day. They happen in factories, within the neighbourhood, and in the open street. Hardly any country is free from violent crime, although their cases vary.

Robbery with violence, which has for sometime been uncommon in The Gambia, seems to be taking centre stage now.

The recently reported development in Ndungu Kebbeh, in the North Bank Region, is among the latest in a spree of unfolding traumas a hitherto peaceful people have been experiencing.

In a high profile criminal activity, the assailants often utilise aggressive tactics, operating in numbers, carrying deadly weapons to facilitate their activities.

In some countries, expatriates are the potential targets, due to their perceived wealth. Anyhow, it is essential that individuals become security personnel and serves not only as their brothers’ keepers, but also as national guards. This would require the learning of some security precautions necessary for self defence.

Petty criminal activities, however, targets innocent school children, who are sometimes initiated as early as in their school days, and they get graduated into undesirable groups.

 After their exposure to these bad influences, for the most part they do not restrict their criminality prowl within their country of origin; rather, they tend to export it into neighbouring countries, in search of greener pastures. The practices of kidnap, rape, and human trafficking are not left behind; they continue to take the lead in criminal activities in which the youth are involved.

The increasing urge for the perceived wealth abound across the other side of the ocean has given a boost to the phenomenon of human trafficking, which is among the most of organized crimes in the world; infiltrating networks smuggle women and children for sexual exploitation and child labour. In West Africa, civil wars, refugees, child soldiers and economic hardships exacerbate this phenomenon. In the whole of the rest of Africa, Ghana; Mali; Niger; Algeria; Libya; Mauritania; Gabon; Cameroon; Guinea, amongst a host of others, are established trafficking routes. The victims are regularly from local areas there.

As earlier mentioned, high rates of poverty and inequality are strong collaborating factors, contributing to burglaries and armed robberies. According to sources, fifteen of the 50 least developed countries in the world are in West Africa. And inequality is also very rife. International studies show that rapid and unplanned urbanization creates conditions for the escalation of crime.

Organised crime, a common feature in many countries nowadays, is an activity undertaken for the purpose of gaining wealth, power or influence. This offence is largely punishable, on conviction, with some terms of imprisonment. This kind of criminal activity can be fought mainly in conjunction with police and other law enforcement agencies.

Research and sharing of intelligence information with law enforcement agencies, as well as using well-placed human sources (informants) can be a good start. Given maximum cooperation to police investigations and setting up multidisciplinary taskforces would be another method.