Given the multifaceted nature of crime trends shaped by a range of social, economic, and demographic variables, grasping the fundamental drivers behind crime patterns is pivotal for crafting effective crime deterrence methodologies. This investigation adopted a systematic literature review technique to distill thirty key factors from a corpus of one hundred scholarly articles. Utilizing the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for diminishing dimensionality facilitated a nuanced understanding of the determinants deemed essential in influencing crime trends. The findings highlight the necessity of tackling issues such as inequality, educational deficits, poverty, unemployment, insufficient parental guidance, and peer influence in the realm of crime prevention efforts. Such knowledge empowers policymakers and law enforcement bodies to optimize resource allocation and roll out interventions grounded in empirical evidence, thereby fostering a safer and more secure societal environment.

South Africa’s border posts are increasingly becoming crucial hubs for organized crime posing serious national and regional security implications with far-reaching consequences. The country’s national security, economic stability, and community safety are significantly jeopardised by organised criminal enterprises at border posts. As a result, the porous borders of South Africa have fostered an environment that is conducive to a variety of unlawful activities, such as the smuggling of drugs into the country and human trafficking. This paper seeks to identify political, economic, and social factors that lead to organised crime, corruption, and weak border management systems. The paper employed a secondary data analysis of existing scholarly articles, government reports as well as relevant case studies. The study found that local communities are most affected by illegal activities at the ports of entry. The findings further emphasize the importance of inclusive approaches in responding to security challenges that address cross-border flow regulation, fight corruption in service delivery, and promote community resilience. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening border controls towards enhancing cooperation between countries and curbing transnational crime networks.

Cases of human trafficking are becoming more prevalent and represent grave abuses of human rights. Both locally and internationally, victims of human trafficking run the danger of being exploited, violent, or infected with contagious illnesses. The Indonesian government has not fully complied with the minimal criteria for safeguarding victims of human trafficking, notwithstanding Law Number 21 of 2007 for the Eradication of the Crime of Human Trafficking. Human rights restoration and respect for victims of human trafficking must be given priority in the implementation of legal protection for these individuals. To strengthen and increase the security of victims’ rights in the future, this study intends to conduct a thorough analysis of the humanism approach model and policies for safeguarding victims of human trafficking. This research uses an empirical technique to support its normative legal analysis. Primary and secondary legal sources are used in this research. The study’s findings show that the protection provided by humanist criminal law for victims of human trafficking is founded on humanitarian principles that derive from the divine principles found in the Pancasila ideology. There are additional requirements for punishment, such as its purpose, its ability to serve as therapy, and its determination to reflect the victim’s and society’s sense of justice. This criminal law is founded on the principles of legality and balance.