NCJ Number
161086
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Dated: special issue (1995) Pages: 54-61
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The police culture in South Africa and how it operates to shape policing are considered, and implications of the analysis for transforming the culture of policing are discussed.
Abstract
Researchers generally agree that police effectiveness is a function of the culture of policing that permeates the institutions through which policing occurs. Policing is typically understood to include the activities of police officers who act out a script. This script involves the law, internal police department regulations, and an occupational culture that may be in conflict with other instructions. The source of conflict between the law and regulations on the one hand and occupational culture on the other can be found in the daily experiences of police officers. In South Africa, efforts are being made to transform the culture of policing, based on the view that much more than just police training is required to reform the police. The author believes the focus of reform needs to be shifted from the police to policing, that is, from the police organization to other sources of policing. Once this shift in framework is made, the effective transformation of South African policing can be accomplished. The relocation of policing from government to civil structures is a relatively widespread phenomenon, and South Africa provides a particularly fertile ground for exploring this approach. 13 references