Gareth Newham

Although much has improved over the past decade in the South African Police Service (SAPS) since the dark days of apartheid, a glaring fault line in the trans-formation process has been the high levels of police abuse of power and mis-conduct. This is manifest particularly as a challenge of widespread police corruption and ill-discipline which has hindered the legitimacy of the police organisation in the eyes of a substantial proportion of the South African public. This article explores some of the dimensions of this challenge and argues that one of the contributory factors for this situation is the failure of the police reform initiative to establish effective systems for internal control. In particular, it is highlighted how the SAPS is not able to adequately identify problematic officers and use the internal disciplinary system to correct their behaviour or remove them from the service. This article explores the reasons for this and goes further to explore the failure of the exte...

Special thanks must also go to Director P. van Vuuren, National Head of Negative Discipline in the SAPS for the documentation and insight he provided on the topic of police discipline in the SAPS. Furthermore, appreciation must be expressed to Superintendent Swart who heads Human Resources in the Gauteng Province, and Superintendent Gouws who is the Head of Discipline in the Western Cape, for providing relevant statistics on discipline hearings in their respective provinces. The time and assistance that these officers gave to the project was invaluable.

Launched in May of 1996, the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) was billed as a holistic national strategy for reducing crime in South Africa. It emerged from the deliberations and research of a multi-disciplinary team of experts from the state and civil society who were tasked with forging a long term strategy to focus the state's attention on addressing the root causes of crime in the country. This was premised on the understanding that to effectively reduce crime, an approach that included, but went beyond, the criminal justice system was required. Drawing on international experience the NCPS propagated a strategy that advocated a 'developmental' approach to the prevention of crime. This required that crime be seen as a broader 'social' challenge rather than purely a security one. Consequently, 'crime prevention' in its true sense meant addressing the socio-economic and environmental factors that gave rise to crime rather than only enforcing the...

During 2006, residential robbery in Gauteng started to increased at a substantial rate ‐ well above the average annual six per cent increase that had previously been taking place. This galvanised action from the provincial government, the South African Police Service and other key roleplayers in the province. The initiatives that were introduced have started to bear fruit as, for the first time in half a decade, a decrease in residential robberies started being recorded from April 2007. This article considers the extent and nature of residential robbery in Gauteng and what is being done to tackle the problem.

The prospect that research can improve the impact of policing operations and internal organisational efficiencies has been a source of promise and frustration for decades.  It may seem obvious to many that research should be able to assist with better policing strategies and tactics by providing evidence as to what does or does not work. Realizing this potential, however, it is not straightforward. The complexities of applying scientific research methods to what is often the messy business of policing often does not result in clear or consistent findings. This article reflects on Evidence-Based Policing (EBP) and its challenges in relation to the establishment of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) first ever National Research Division.

During 2006, substantial increases were recorded in residential and business robberies in Gauteng. Along with hijackings, these three subcategories of aggravated robbery were collectively referred to as the 'Trio Crimes'. After various policing operations failed to adequately reduce the Trio Crimes in Gauteng, the Gauteng Department of Community Safety undertook research into international best practice for combating residential and business robberies. The findings of this research formed the basis for the Gauteng Aggravated Robbery Strategy, which was subsequently developed and implemented in partnership with the Gauteng South African Police Service (SAPS). This initiative provides a case study of the role that provincial governments could play in supporting the police to reduce crime in South Africa.

In 1996 the SAPS established its first internal anti-corruption unit to tackle what was identified as a growing problem of police corruption. Seven years down the line, combating corruption is still a national priority of the SAPS. But recently the SAPS announced that it is closing the anti-corruption unit and integrating some of its members into the organised crime unit. International experience suggests, however, that a specialised unit dedicated to investigating police crime and corruption is crucial if these problems are to be tackled effectively.

It has been a little over five years since metropolitan police departments were first established in South Africa. Despite relatively small numbers of operational personnel, they now form a familiar part of the policing landscape. With good reason, metro police officers do better at traffic control than crime prevention, and their relationship with the SAPS needs attention. This article reflects on their achievements over the past years and some of the key challenges confronting these local level police agencies.

During 2006, residential robbery in Gauteng started to increased at a substantial rate – well above the average annual six per cent increase that had previously been taking place. This galvanised action from the provincial government, the South African Police Service and other key roleplayers in the province. The initiatives that were introduced have started to bear fruit as, for the first time in half a decade, a decrease in residential robberies started being recorded from April 2007. This article considers the extent and nature of residential robbery in Gauteng and what is being done to tackle the problem.

Since the 2009 national election, minister of police, Nathi Mthethwa, has been reorganising and strengthening the national secretariat of police. The existence of this body is constitutionally mandated. Gareth Newham spoke to the new national secretary of police, Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane, on 25 February 2010.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is a large, nationally centralized police agency resorting under the minister of police in the government department of the SAPS. Formerly known as the SA police force, the agency has experienced vast reform since its years as the apartheid regime’s policy enforcer. This chapter explores the contours of police integrity among the agency, based on a police integrity survey conducted from 2010 to 2013. The sample of 871 police officers from all nine South African provinces evaluated hypothetical scenarios describing various forms of police misconduct. Our results suggest that the majority of police officers had no problems recognizing the described behavior as rule violating and evaluated all 11 hypothetical cases as serious. At the same time, they supported and expected some discipline less severe than dismissal to be meted out for such behavior. Only for the serious misconduct of stealing from the crime scene they supported and expected dismissal. Finally, our results also indicate the existence of the code of silence among the respondents although the code did not cover all behaviors equally. Our respondents seem least likely to protect a theft from a crime scene and unjustifiable use of deadly force.

Abstract: The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the'Hawks', is currently at a crossroads. The Constitutional Court judgment in Glenister vs the President of South Africa and Others has called into question the Directorate's ...

Acknowledgments Particular mention must be made of the Royal Danish Embassy for their support in funding this project. We believe that the commitment,shown,by the Embassy to support independent research will contribute positively to the transformation processes of institutions such as the SAPS. Our gratitude cannot be overstated. Special thanks must also go to Director P. van Vuuren, National Head of Negative Discipline in the SAPS for the documentation,and insight he provided on the topic of police discipline in the SAPS. Furthermore, appreciation must be expressed to Superintendent Swart who heads Human Resources in the Gauteng Province, and Superintendent Gouws who is the Head of Discipline in the Western Cape, for providing relevant statistics on discipline hearings in their respective provinces. The time and assistance that these officers gave to the project was invaluable. Appreciation must be expressed to all those members,of the South African Police Service (SAPS), who contr...

... While its full extent may not be known in South Africa, there is no doubt that it ... groups) Deceptive practices Falsely reporting performance of self or others in the police Making false statements or committing perjury to influence criminal trials Theft Stealing from a crime scene and ...

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the ‘Hawks’, is currently at a crossroads. The Constitutional Court judgment in Glenister vs the President of South Africa and Others has called into question the Directorate’s continued existence in its current form. One of the most important questions raised by the Constitutional Court judgment is whether the DPCI can be sufficiently independent while located within the SAPS. This article presents arguments in support of the view that separating the unit from the SAPS is essential to build public confidence in the unit and to meet the requirements of the judgment.

The Marikana Commission of Inquiry report presented damning findings against the South African Police Service (SAPS) National Commissioner, Riah Phiyega, and the senior commanders involved in the Marikana massacre. Their decision to disarm and disperse striking miners was found to be flawed and to have resulted in police officers unjustifiably shooting 112 striking mineworkers, killing 34 of them. Moreover, their integrity was found wanting on the basis that Phiyega and her senior commanders withheld crucial evidence, constructed misleading evidence, and provided untruthful testimony before the commission. This article argues that a necessary condition for improvements to take place in the SAPS relates to improving the top leadership of the organisation. Fortunately, the National Development Plan provides a starting point as to how this can be achieved.‘Police supervisors at any level need to be aware that their behaviour has a strong impact on the organisational culture, which in t...