The impact of international law enforcement training on the South African Police Service’s effectiveness

Abstract

The need for globalisation and a competitive edge in the ever-changing policing trends and crime-combatting strategies necessitates training and development interaction on a global platform. Essential in this regard is the development of skills, among others the training, development, and support of the South African Police Service (SAPS), through local and international training interventions in policing. This study followed the quantitative research design using the random sampling method. One hundred respondents from various SAPS divisions and at provincial level who attended international police training interventions were used as respondents and subjected to the completion of structured questionnaires. The main topic of this research revealed that international law enforcement training interventions were beneficial to the SAPS as it impacts positively on the SAPS’ effectiveness in service delivery. The results of this study is indicative that SAPS engages in the international field on policing practices as a means to train and develop its members beyond the scope of local practices to enable them to expand their knowledge and skills in order to further improve service delivery.