Blog – Policing

There have been suggestions that the current disorder is akin to a rebellion of the poor brought about by acute food insecurity. Research findings on looting, nonetheless, suggest that such phenomena are rarely caused by one thing. Rather, it’s often the outcome of various factors.

In a series of webinars on the 7th and 8th of June, we drew from the existing evidence, experience and expertise of the civil society, academia and government sector in the prevention of violence and discussed how this could be utilised for the evidence-based implementation of the most relevant South African safety policy frameworks.

The WCG Whole of Government Targeted Hotspot Plan works to change individual and community behaviour to slow the spread of COVID-19 in high-population, high-transmission areas. Community Safety, in partnership with lead departments and other spheres of government, has taken proactive measures to protect communities and save lives.

Various research reports have shown the devastating effect that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown regulations have had on large segments of the South African population, in which there have been alarming increases in poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, hunger and domestic violence. These dynamics are likely to transform the current crime crisis into a crime catastrophe in the medium term

In the wake of the controversy surrounding a video of Cape Town resident Bulelani Qolani being dragged naked from his shack by municipal police, is it not time for a complete overhaul of police oversight mechanisms, and for Ipid to take control?

Rapid steps taken in SA to combat the coronavirus didn’t allow sufficient planning or training of security forces.

There is a menu of compliance strategies and tactics against Covid-19 from which to choose, and indeed there are no easy choices. The South African government has opted for a range of strict and arguably repressive practices to be employed by the security forces. Why were such choices made, especially when most other constitutional democracies have not (yet) adopted such a heavy-handed response? Part of the answer is linked to a deep-seated culture of punitiveness amongst the South African elite in terms of how ordinary South Africans (especially the poor) should be governed, combined with the militarisation of social control, particularly policing.

The fight against crime in the Western Cape received a significant boost as 500 new learner law enforcement officers took part in the official passing out parade, signaling the start of their deployment on Sunday, 09 February 2020 at Athlone Stadium.

Social cohesion has frequently been used in government policy documents in South Africa since the late-1990s. Be that as it may, there have been very few detailed analyses of the direct and indirect linkages between social cohesion and violence. That said, in the South African literature on collective violence, particularly those publications relating to vigilantism, violent community protests, and xenophobic violence, research findings have broadly implied that shared community grievances and prejudices about wellbeing, inadequate government services, and the erosion of social control may have contributed to social cohesion with the creation of specific activist groups and social movements.

The changes proposed in the Refugees Amendment Bill are arguably an attempt to narrow the content and scope of refugee protection in South Africa and, in some respect, limit the rights afforded to asylum seekers and refugees. This piece discusses why the Refugees Amendment Act is so terrible and what effect will it have.