Solving Crime: The State of the SAPS Detective Service

• NCJ Number: 178302
• Author(s): Antony Altbeker
• Date Published: November 1998
• Length: 75 pages
• Corporate Author: Institute for Security Studies
• Sale Source: Institute for Security Studies
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: South Africa

Annotation

This monograph is the product of 3 months of interaction with members of the detective service of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and reflects the results of interviews on the manner in which South Africa's democratization has affected police detectives.

Abstract

Elections in 1994 marked a milestone in South Africa's transition to democracy, and the development of police policies and practices since the elections has been heavily influenced by the history of South Africa and by forces of change and continuity. On the one hand, building a democracy requires a criminal justice system that is able to deal with crime and establish respect for the law. On the other hand, the criminal justice system has had to change to deal with crime. Implementing change in the SAPS has been affected by the need for continuity and by the potential for security forces to undermine constitutional democracy. Changes in services delivered by the SAPS include the development of new processes of community consultation and accountability, changes in the treatment of certain crime victims, less aggressive policing and patrol work, the elimination of tactics used to suppress political unrest, and less coercion and intimidation in the course of investigating crime. Three elements have driven the reprioritization of resources among policing areas, police strategies, and crime problems: (1) democratization and the need to develop equity both within the SAPS and in providing services to the public; (2) adoption of community policing as an organizational philosophy; and (3) rise in crime and political debate over prioritizing different forms of criminality. On the whole since the 1994 elections, police detectives have approached their work professionally and have sought to perform their tasks effectively and efficiently. Challenges facing the SAPS since the advent of democracy are noted, as well as procedures followed in restructuring the SAPS and the detective service. Endnotes