Operational Strategies for Public Order Policing : A South African Case study

Abstract

In policing circles, 1994 will be remembered in policing circles as a year of great changes for the South African Police (SAP). A paradigm shift was made towards policing within a human rights culture. This period will always be remembered as a political watershed for South Africa. A shift was being made from a repressive police state to a democracy, which required the application of democratic policing principles and values. Since policing is and remains one of the most important mechanisms in social control, a meaningful balance needed to be found between persuasive and enforced control in the new South Africa. From 1976 to 2015 the conduct of the Public Order Police (POP) has been questioned by the public and four Commissions of Inquiry. The aim of this article was to examine the policy and legislative framework, the recommendations of the four Commissions of Inquiry, and to conceptually analyse operational strategies for public order policing. It was found that the policy and legislative framework, together with the recommendations of the Commissions of Inquiry, provided details regarding structure and functioning within the constraints of the Constitution and the law. This article recommends operational strategies to strengthen public order policing.