What works in South African policing?

A review of research finds that SA police and scholars don’t ask the right questions for evidence-based policing.

This report critically reviews the literature for the best available evidence on whether the South African police have achieved their mandate. It offers a reasonable but rigorous evaluation of research for evidence-based policing. Policing research questions should make systematic, empirical observation of a proposed relationship between policing behaviour and policing impact. The report finds that South African police and scholars do not ask the right questions for evidence-based policing.

About the author

Anine Kriegler is a Post-doctoral Fellow with the Centre of Criminology at the University of Cape Town. Her primary research interests are crime statistics and drug policy. She has a PhD and master’s degree from the University of Cape Town and a master’s from the University of Cambridge. She is co-author of the book A citizen’s guide to crime trends in South Africa.