Reform is needed for more capable policing, say experts

SOUTH Africa’s police service requires urgent reform, with experts calling for a shift toward a more professional, skilled, and technology-driven force capable of tackling complex crime.

- GCWALISILE KHANYILE

According to Gareth Newham, head of justice and violence prevention at the Institute for Security Studies, the current policing model is outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

What's needed Newham said, were officers who could work with data, learn new skills, think critically and apply modern investigative methods.

Since 1995, the SAPS has focused on deploying large numbers of uniformed, low-skilled officers to perform basic duties, based on the flawed belief that police visibility alone reduces crime, said Newham.

"What we need is a policing model which is much more professional, a far greater proportion of its staff must be highly skilled professionals who can operate technology, learn new skills, work with data, think innovatively and solve crimes.

They need to be open to partnerships with the private sector, private security, other analysts and civil society."

Newham said that the police’s effectiveness is not about resources, but rather about skills and capabilities.

"The mindset that all we need to do is add more money and more people to the SAPS and that will somehow get on top of the crime problem is a false assumption. It will not work; it has not worked anywhere else. And what we need to start thinking about is how we reduce the size of the organisation so that we have far greater, better-paid, highly skilled professionals, with far lower levels of corruption and waste, to target the criminals that are committing most of the serious harm.

"Police officers do not have to police all 62 million people in South Africa. They need to make sure that they can identify at least the 50000 people who commit the most serious violent crimes, organised crimes that are kidnappings, hijackings, and so forth. So, until we get that model right, we won't see big improvements anytime soon.”