'Darker shades of blue': A comparison of three decades of South African Police Service culture

Steyn, Jean; Mkhize, Sazelo

doi:10.17159/2413-3108/2016/v0n57a1241

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Research by Steyn & Mkhize (2016) has revealed a strong sense of isolation and cynicism amongst SAPS officers, linked to a lack of trust in and connection with members of the public and the communities they serve. Yet, citizen surveys in South Africa continue to flag crime as one of the top three priorities for government to address (Afrobarometer 2015).…”

Section: Democracy As Rights Rights As Licensementioning

confidence: 99%

‘This democracy is killing us’: perceptions of rights and democracy in the South African Police Service

Brooks

2020

J. Mod. Afr. Stud.

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Police reform in South Africa has been a crucial component of democratic consolidation. Yet recent research presents a contrasting set of opinions, indicating low levels of public trust in the South African Police Service (SAPS), but continued belief in their right to enforce the law, and a strong sense of isolation amongst officers themselves. As police are constitutive of the officers who populate their ranks, attention should be given to how ‘democracy’ is perceived by those charged with its protection. Through a series of interviews, this article examines how SAPS officers understand and experience ‘democracy’. Situating officers in the broader society and communities in which they work, it shows that officers conceive of democracy predominantly through the lens of ‘rights’ and that their role in protecting rights is complicated by the transitional nature of South Africa's democracy. It also provides insight into a sense of disempowerment amongst officers, suggesting negative conceptions of the quality of democracy and of the balance of liberal constitutionalism with the democratic impetus of building safer communities.

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Section: Democracy As Rights Rights As Licensementioning

confidence: 99%

‘This democracy is killing us’: perceptions of rights and democracy in the South African Police Service

Brooks

2020

J. Mod. Afr. Stud.

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“…Over the next nine years of police service (Van Maanen and Manning's metamorphosis-stage of police culture socialisation) these attitudes were fortified and reinforced. 22 Steyn, Bell and De Vries made use of the same survey instrument to compare the attitudes of new SAPS recruits with those of recruits at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) Police Academy. The study found that both new SAPS and JIBC police recruits had a shared affinity for police solidarity, but that while most SAPS recruits showed characteristics of isolation and cynicism, only half the JIBC recruits did.…”

Section: Research On Themes Of Solidarity Isolation and Cynicismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…25 The PCSICQ is a composite measure consisting of three subscales, with 10 items per scale. Police culture cynicism coping theme subscale items [21] Most people lie when answering questions posed by police officials [22] Most people do not hesitate to go out of their way to help someone in trouble [23] Most people are untrustworthy and dishonest [24] Most people would steal if they knew they would not get caught [25] Most people respect the authority of police officials [26] Most people lack the proper level of respect for police officials A pilot study was conducted in December 2004 among 100 SAPS functional police officials stationed in the city of Durban, South Africa. Factor analysis identified nine factors, of which four met the latent root criterion (also known as the eigenvalue-one criterion or the Kaiser criterion).…”

Section: Outcome Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

'Darker shades of blue': A comparison of three decades of South African Police Service culture

Steyn

Mkhize

2016

SA crime q.

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Research and thought on the public police have emphasized the value of police culture in comprehending the various aspects of policing. Recently a ‘contemporary police culture’ school of thought has risen, challenging prevailing traditional portrayals of homogeneity and universality. Aficionadas of this method argue that new developments in police and policing have dramatically changed police culture and conventional characterisations do not reflect the complex minutiae of the police character, and as such are antiquated, illogical and useless. This manuscript is an attempt to contribute towards this debate by gauging indicators evincing police culture solidarity, isolation, and cynicism amongst a representative sample of South African Police Service (SAPS) functional police officials with ten (10), twenty (20), and thirty (30) years SAPS experience.

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'Darker shades of blue': A comparison of three decades of South African Police Service culture

Abstract: Research on police has long recognised the importance of police culture in shaping officials' attitudes to work. In the decades since the early

Cited by 2 publications

References 13 publications

‘This democracy is killing us’: perceptions of rights and democracy in the South African Police Service

‘This democracy is killing us’: perceptions of rights and democracy in the South African Police Service

'Darker shades of blue': A comparison of three decades of South African Police Service culture

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