Relationship Between the South African Police Service and the Private Security Industry: Any Role for Outsourcing in the Prevention of Crime?

• NCJ Number: 217321
• Journal: Acta Criminologica Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: 2004 Pages: 42-65
• Author(s): A. Minnaar; P. Ngoveni
• Date Published: 2004
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: South Africa
• Note: To access the full text PDF: 1) select the provided PDF link; 2) from the Acta Criminologica Web site, select "Table of Contents"; 3) select the corresponding Volume and Issue (see the NCJRS abstract record for the exact Volume and Issue); 4) scroll the Table of Contents to the exact article; and 5) click on the "full text" icon. Downloaded February 12, 2007

Annotation

This article examines the reasons for the growth of the private security sector in South Africa and explores the possibilities for cooperation between public and private police.

Abstract

The authors suggest several benefits and potential problems of a public-private policing partnership in South Africa. Benefits include additional officers and intelligence sharing while potential problems include issues of legal liability and inadequate training. Since 1995, the private security sector in South Africa has grown rapidly, expanding by 30 percent each year and at twice the rate of the public police sector. The authors argue that this rapid expansion in the private security industry can be attributed to three main causes: (1) the withdrawal of the state from some policing functions; (2) the massive growth in private property; and (3) the inability of public police to protect private citizens. Other reasons for the growth in private policing in South Africa are identified as rising crime rates and a lack of government funding for crime prevention efforts. Moreover, during the apartheid order, the public police force was viewed as highly corrupt and discriminatory, with most policing efforts focused on White areas. The authors illustrate how the private security industry, while lacking the legislative powers enjoyed by the public police, slowly co-opted the role of public police, particularly in residential neighborhoods and among businesses. In general, this occurred as the predominant concern of citizens and private companies was with the prevention of loss rather than the investigation of crimes, the latter of which is purely a public policing function. Even the private policing industry began contracting in specialist services from the private policing sector after 1994. The so-called privatization of the South African police services took place concurrently with the civilianization of the police force, which involved the employment of civilians in certain posts within the police force. Endnotes