ABSTRACT
Insecurity is Mogadishu's great leveller. The physical insecurity associated with terrorism and armed militiamen affects most of the city's inhabitants, but so does dealing with everyday contingencies such as injuries, accidents and fire. This chapter offers an overview of the ways Mogadishu's inhabitants manage their environment. It focuses on the neighbourhood-watch scheme found in Waberi district. The chapter looks first at security provision in the districts before noting the international rationale for prioritising police-community engagement and the community policing that is thought to improve it. Low-level security provision presents a complex picture. The Somali Police Force's website takes an orthodox understanding of community policing, which is presented in terms of principles such as policing by consent, police and community working together, and policing tailored to meet community needs and priorities.
