Police Integrity in South Africa (Routledge Frontiers of Criminal Justice)

Policing in South Africa has gained notoriety through its extensive history of oppressive law enforcement. In 1994, as the country’s apartheid system was replaced with a democratic order, the new government faced the significant challenge of transforming the South African police force into a democratic police agency―the South African Police Service (SAPS)―that would provide unbiased policing to all the country’s people. More than two decades since the initiation of the reforms, it appears that the SAPS has rapidly developed a reputation as a police agency beset by challenges to its integrity.

This book offers a unique perspective by providing in-depth analyses of police integrity in South Africa. It is a case study that systematically and empirically explores the contours of police integrity in a young democracy. Using the organizational theory of police integrity, the book analyzes the complex set of historical, legal, political, social, and economic circumstances shaping police integrity. A discussion of the theoretical framework is accompanied by the results of a nationwide survey of nearly 900 SAPS officers, probing their familiarity with official rules, their expectations of discipline within the SAPS, and their willingness to report misconduct. The book also examines the influence of the respondents’ race, gender, and supervisory status on police integrity.

Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology, policing, sociology, political science, as well as to police administrators interested in expanding their knowledge about police integrity and enhancing it in their organizations.

Sanja Kutnjak Ivković is a Professor at the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, U.S.A. For more than two decades, her research has focused on comparative and international criminology, criminal justice, and law. She received the 2017 Mueller Award for Distinguished Contributions to International Criminal Justice.

Adri Sauerman is a legal counsel in the mineral, energy, trading, and commerce industries as well as a former Fulbright and current independent scholar. As legal counsel, he navigates the legal and governance intricacies of several African and European commercial systems. His research and publications focus on international criminology, criminal justice, and law.

Andrew Faull is a Senior Researcher in the Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, and a Research Associate at the Centre of Criminology, University of Cape Town, South Africa. He has over 15 years of experience researching policing and related subjects in South Africa.

Michael E. Meyer is Emeritus Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of North Dakota, U.S.A. He was recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to South Africa and two National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships. His research interests focus on policing in transitional societies.

Gareth Newham is the Head of Justice and Violence Prevention Programme at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), an independent organization that provides authoritative policy research and technical support to enhance human security across Africa (www.issafrica.org). He leads a team of people who work to better understand, respond to, and prevent violence, and strive to strengthen the criminal justice system in South Africa.