Ecology of Violent Gang Activity, Crime Outcome and Community Policing Practices in Lagos State

Gang violence is a reoccurrence decimal in the 21st century globally. It negating impact poses as threat to human and socioeconomic development leading unrest, fear, retrogressive economic and physical or psychological impairment. The submission of scholars round publications indicated that any attempt failure to reports criminal or delinquent actions experienced in the community to the state security apparatus due to fear of unknown will contribute to the ever-increasing nature of violent activities perpetrated by gang members. Therefore, this study intends to examine how ecology of violent gang activity can influence crime outcome and community policing practices in Lagos state Extant literatures were reviewed while broken windows theory by Wilson and Keiling was adopted. A mixed methods and descriptive design were used for the collection of data from 347 inmates using structured questionnaire with simple random technique among the inmates arrested for gang activities in Lagos state correctional facility (Kirikiri and Ikoyi) while 36 interviews to include (In-depth and Key informant were adopted for the collection of verbal data from market women/men, community elders, religious leaders and the vigilantes in Lagos State through the use of semistructured questionnaires and fieldnote Residents that lived in dense area faces fear and tension which negate social cohesion, and businesses. Therefore, preventive interventions such as fixing of street lights and closed-circuit cameras in hidden or population dense area in Lagos Also encourage capacity building through the use of residential policing to eliminate crime in Lagos state