Abstract
In December 1993, the national police commissioner issued a draft National Instruction on sector policing. The West Rand policing area in Johannesburg has interpreted this instruction creatively and ambitiously, and used it to fashion a new style of grassroots policing. This article describes the form of policing taking shape in the West Rand and the challenges facing police officials in the area.
Highlights
Is this manner of policing set in stone? Ten years into the South African Police Service (SAPS)’ history, is the institution still capable of substantive innovation and creativity? The introduction of sector policing in Johannesburg’s West Rand, which began in April 2003, suggests that the substance of grassroots policing can change rapidly and successfully
Crime hotspots are identified and members of the station’s centralised crime prevention unit are mobilised into high density saturation teams; they move into hotspots in numbers, throw up roadblocks, cordon-and-search, and search-andseize. This style of policing is not so much about solving problems as smothering them in short, sharp bursts. Is this manner of policing set in stone? Ten years into the SAPS’ history, is the institution still capable of substantive innovation and creativity? The introduction of sector policing in Johannesburg’s West Rand, which began in April 2003, suggests that the substance of grassroots policing can change rapidly and successfully
In terms of the draft National Instruction issued by the SAPS national commissioner in December 2003, it entails dividing police stations into sectors and convening community–police sector crime forums (SCFs) in each sector
Summary
Is this manner of policing set in stone? Ten years into the SAPS’ history, is the institution still capable of substantive innovation and creativity? The introduction of sector policing in Johannesburg’s West Rand, which began in April 2003, suggests that the substance of grassroots policing can change rapidly and successfully. The West Rand policing area in Johannesburg has interpreted this instruction creatively and ambitiously, and used it to fashion a new style of grassroots policing. This article describes the form of policing taking shape in the West Rand and the challenges facing police officials in the area.
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