Source: ISSBuilding a Professional National Police Service in South Africa
Andrew Faull, Senior Researcher, Crime and Justice Programme, ISS Pretoria Office
There exists a tale of a younger Desmond Tutu on a visit to London. According to the tale Tutu approached a member of the London Metropolitan Police on the street and asked if he could direct him to a particular landmark. The officer replied “certainly sir, follow me,” and walked him to the spot. As soon as they arrived Tutu thanked the officer and asked if he could direct him back to where they had come from. Again the officer said “certainly sir” and walked him back. On arrival at their original location the officer asked “but sir, why did you want to return so quickly?” to which Tutu beamed, “I just wanted to hear you call me ‘sir’ again!”
It is this image of the London Bobby as polite and respectful that saw the creation of over a dozen Facebook groups pledging support to the London Met in less than a week following the recent outbreak of violence in English cities. Within just a few days one group had more than 900 000 fans. In South Africa, where police face what might be considered a chronic threat of violence, could the same degree of public support ever be garnered for members of the South African Police Service (SAPS)?
Qualitative research conducted in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban exploring residents’ experiences and perceptions of police and police corruption suggest very low regard for members of the SAPS. But what may be surprising to some is that these perceptions are not based on how effective the SAPS’s is seen to be tackling crime, but rather on the belief that police treat civilians discourteously, abusively or with unnecessary force.
That public perception of police officials is based more on their treatment of civilians than anything else, is supported by a significant body of research in other countries. This suggests that ‘procedural fairness’ is perhaps the greatest determinant of whether civilians accept a police authority as legitimate or not. In other words, even where a person has committed a crime they are likely to accept police authority if they perceive that procedures will be applied equally and fairly to everyone in society.
In South Africa, civil society has taken up a call for the SAPS to improve its levels of professionalism. This is not to say that there is a complete absence of professionalism in the SAPS. Indeed, the SAPS far outshines most other police agencies on the continent and in many other parts of the world with regards to its policies, personnel numbers, training, technological systems and resources. But if police professionalism is understood simply as the expectation that officials perform their duties in accordance to fair and accountable guidelines, the SAPS certainly can improve.
The shortcoming facing the SAPS is particularly evident in the gap between the values presented in the organisation’s Codes of Conduct and Ethics and the conduct of many of its members. For example, a scene too common in many SAPS community service centres is of police officials slouching in their chairs, sleeping and reluctant to assist the waiting public. As stated by a former police official who served from the early nineties until 2002 when reflecting on whether she would return to the SAPS, “What I miss, I can never go back to. I don’t think it even exists any more…the type of police I see in the charge office now; I don’t want to be associated with that.”
Police agencies are notorious for the wall of silence and solidarity that surrounds them. Police officials often feel civilians don’t understand them or are against them. Where there is little public support for police this public/police divide is more pronounced. This in turn further erodes police morale.
Recent months have seen a surge in media attention given to the deaths of police officials in South Africa. Considering trends have been similar for almost ten years, this attention may have been an attempt by police management to garner support for police. Yet, despite the threat to police safety being far more severe in South Africa than the UK, support shown to the SAPS after months of campaigning does not compare to the unsolicited support shown the London Met after just a few days of riots.
Clearly the SAPS needs to improve its image to garner the support of the public. But what it must realise is that annual announcements of declining crime will only win police momentary legitimacy. What is far more important is that every encounter between a police official and a member of the public is based on procedural justice, fairness, and courtesy, as encompassed by the Codes of Conduct and Ethics. The senior management of the SAPS must put in place the systems to ensure that every police official is held accountable for behaving in line with these documents. Once this happens, the South African public will likely throw their weight behind the police regardless of crime rates.
But reforming the SAPS to become a truly professional and respected organisation will require both internal police organisational change and a shift in civic culture. South Africans must recognise and reward fair, professional policing when they see it, whether through a simple “thank you” or a formal letter to a station commissioner. By so doing we as the public can demonstrate our support for the dedicated, honest officials who wake up every morning to work with and effect positive change in the lives of civilians whom they are unlikely to ever meet again. But in the same breadth, South Africans cannot settle for mediocre service, disrespect or abuse of power by police. These too must be reported. By so doing the South African public can play an important role in driving a shift in culture within the SAPS so that honest, dedicated cops feel supported and lazy or abusive police are forced out of the system. It’s up to each one of us to do our part. Together we can build a better South African Police Service.
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