SAPS' costly restructuring: a review of public order policing capacity

This monograph assesses the effectiveness of the SAPS Crime Combating Units

This monograph assesses the effectiveness of the SAPS Crime Combating Units (CCUs) in order to determine the extent to which they are able to ensure security both at protest marches and for the upcoming 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup.

By way of background, it begins with a description and explanation of the legislation regulating gatherings and events, and the powers accorded to police to manage gatherings. It then moves on to describe the structural and functional changes made to the units during both the 2001 and the 2006 restructuring processes, examining the effect of these changes on the units, especially with regard to the specialist crowd management function.

About the author:

Bilkis Omar is a researcher in the Crime and Justice Programme. She has been working at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) since 2002 and has a particular interest in policing and criminal justice issues. She has an honours degree in criminology from the University of South Africa.