Common misconceptions may discourage police from using this proven method of optimising policing and enhancing safety.
Not all crimes have the same impact, so police should prioritise reducing harm, not just the crime count.
Why we don’t know the answer and how the police and research community can change that.
Although SAPS has an impressive performance management system that collects masses of data, it doesn’t rigorously determine impact.
A review of research finds that SA police and scholars don’t ask the right questions for evidence-based policing.
Police should create an organisational environment of critical thinking, scepticism and experimentation around their work.
Social network analysis avoids some of the limitations of existing approaches to mapping organised criminal networks.
The relationship between law enforcement success and the drug trade is complicated. In the on going debate in South Africa about alternative approaches, the focus should be on scientific rigor rather than moralising.
