Promote Professional Policing Campaign

Institute for Security Studies

July – August 2012

Nature of campaign

• In September 2011 the campaign was launched with participation of the SAPS national office.

• In March 2012 the Western Cape Department of Community Safety decided to introduce the campaign across the 25 safety clusters.

• Campaign to be based on collaborative work sessions informing its practical content.

Campaign Objectives

• Enhancing community awareness and support for a professional policing culture to ensure safe and secure neighbourhoods.

• Enhancing community support for the rewarding of professional policing.

• Improving the current reporting of poor police service delivery and criminality.

• Promoting a proud police service that is accountable to the public.

Communities and policing

• Police require community support in order to be effective in their work.

• Communities should know what they can and can’t expect from the police.

• Police win community support when they are perceived as courteous and fair.

• Where are we on the line between being ‘problem solvers’ and ‘crimefighters’?

Barriers?

•There is always a barrier between police and communities but the lower this is the better for all.

•Many victims of police abuse fail to report it.

•Most recipients of good police service fail to express their appreciation.

Corruption

• Police corruption is found in virtually all countries, in all forces, and at every level of the organisation at some time.

• Corruption involves: The misuse of police authority for personal or group gain. The abuse of position Not all police abuse of power is criminal

• Corruption is the opposite of professional policing.

Police corruption as an occupational hazard

• Corruption = monopoly + discretion – accountability

• Corruption needs: (1) Authority and (2) Opportunity

Decades of international research on police corruption has found:• It takes many forms and changes over time• It typically involves group behavior and can easily become

systemic• The extent of corruption is connected to organisational and

managerial shortcomings• The key difference between policing agencies is the extent of the

problem.

Police corruption: the fertilizers

1. Environmental Factors•Marginalised groups (undocumented foreign nationals)•Organised Crime & illicit markets (illegal alcohol, drugs, gambling)•Inappropriate political interference in the police service2. Organisational•Inadequate police leadership •Poor management and supervision (recruitment, training, promotions & career-paths, weak discipline & internal accountability, etc.) •Police culture (e.g. “Blue code of silence”)3. Individual •Incongruent personal attitudes and behaviour•Low morale•Financial mismanagement

• A campaign designed by stations and clusters.• Workable in the cluster context using available

resources.• Responsive to public perception and police morale.• Using a collaborative approach between CPFs,

stations and communities.• To actively recognise and promote professional

policing and to reduce poor policing & criminality

Discussing strategies

What’s left today?

• Group discussion: rewarding good policing• Feedback• Group discussion: reporting bad policing• Feedback• Promoting Professional Policing …

• Currently how do you reward good policing?

• What policing should be rewarded or appreciated?

• How can we PRACTICALLY & APPROPRIATELY reward good policing?

Rewarding good policing

• Currently how do you report bad policing?

• What should be reported as bad policing?

• How can we PRACTICALLY & APPROPRIATELY report bad policing?

Report bad policing

Downloadable Products

• Downloadable products: ‘Reward a cop’ ‘Report a cop’ ‘What to expect when reporting’ ‘SAPS Codes’ ‘SAPS Offences’

• Guides to support individuals, communities, but also formal

oversight structures• Podcasts

Thank Youwww.issafrica.org/crimehub