An inside view into policing in South Africa
Research reveals the challenges facing officers and managers in delivering policing services to the public.
What is it like to be a police officer in South Africa – a country still struggling with high levels of violence and more recently, weak leadership? Crime statistics show that the police are struggling to deal with violent organised crime, largely because of poor leadership, especially at the top of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and in the crime intelligence division.
This seminar will reflect on the social, political and cultural forces that influence how police officers see themselves and their work. Ethnographic research reveals how officers’ personal histories, ambitions and vulnerabilities remain central to how policing unfolds on the street. These insights are contained in a new book, Police Work and Identity, by Andrew Faull.
Copies of the book will be on sale at the event.
Chair: Gareth Newham, Head, Justice and Violence Prevention, ISS
Speakers:
Dr Andrew Faull, researcher and author
Mpho Kwinika, President, South African Police Union (SAPU)
Picture: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp
