What Price Fairness When Security is at Stake? Police Legitimacy in South Africa

Bradford, Ben; Huq, Aziz Z.; Jackson, Jonathan; Roberts, Benjamin

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2132609

Cited by 65 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Following recent work (Jackson et al, 2012a(Jackson et al, , 2012bBradford et al, 2014aBradford et al, , 2014b) I have pursued the conceptual claim that legitimacy has two dimensions: (a) recognition of rightful authority (viewed through the lens of felt obligation to obey rules and commands) and (b) normative justification of power (viewed through the lens of shared moral values between power-holders and subordinates, where powerholders act in ways that align with the values of citizens). I have considered the idea that legal compliance may be influenced first by a content-free duty to obey that shuts down action alternatives (if one knows something is illegal one will not consider it as an option) and second by a sense that legal authorities are appropriate, proper and just, which creates a sense of normative alignment (and in this study a particular type of value congruence).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the Dual Motivational Force of Legitimate Authority

Jackson

2015

SSRN Journal

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was a measure of identification to a social group that the police in Scotland can plausibly be said to represent: namely, the community of law-abiding Scottish citizens (cf. Bradford, 2014;Bradford et al, 2014b).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Dual Motivational Force of Legitimate Authority

Jackson

2015

SSRN Journal

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“…But it also implies that the presence and authority of the police themselves are accepted by members of the public, and is intimately linked to trust in the police. 71 Where police are trusted, communities are more amenable to working with them. It is believed that the representativeness of police organisations is connected to public trust.…”

Section: Legitimacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the need for representation is not necessarily about people wanting to be served by an officer who shares their own racial or ethnic identity, though this has been shown to be a consideration for some people. 73 Legitimacy may have more to do with a sense of 'shared group membership' , 74 where people feel that both they and the police form part of a common collective. 'Citizens must feel that it is "our" police force defending the rights of "all of us", not "their" police force protecting the interest of "them". '…”

Section: Legitimacymentioning

confidence: 99%

NEW BLOOD: Implications of en masse recruitment for the South African Police Service

Bruce¹

2016

SA crime q.

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This article is concerned with the process of en masse recruitment implemented within the South African Police Service since 2002. As a result of this process the personnel strength of the SAPS has increased dramatically from 120 549 in 2002 to 199 345 in 2012, an increase of over 65%. A large proportion of SAPS personnel are now people who have joined since 1994 and particularly since 2002. En masse recruitment has in part addressed the legacy of apartheid by promoting racial and gender representativeness in the SAPS. In so doing it has facilitated entry into the civil service by a significant number of black, and particularly African,South Africans, thus contributing to ‘class formation’. At the same time the process does not ensure political non-partisanship on the part of the SAPS. It also has not necessarily contributed to ‘better policing’ in South Africa. While it may have increased the potential that the SAPS will enjoy legitimacy, this cannot be achieved by recruitment alone.

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“…21 A number of recent studies have raised concern about the fairness with which the police treat ordinary South Africans. 22 Existing research suggests that trust in the police is low, which undermines the legitimacy of this important institution. 23 Despite the widespread policing reforms since 1994, many challenges exist in relation to police legitimacy in present-day South Africa.…”

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confidence: 99%