Note every body's business: Community policing in the SAp's priority areas

This monograph assesses the implementation of South Africa's community policing policy and perceptions of policy service. It is based on research commissioned by the British Department for International Development for the South African Police Service in 2000. The implementation of community policing policy has focused almost entirely on the functions of the community policy forums. But given the limited public reach of these structures, the policy has not been effective in terms of its core goal: ensuring broad community input on needs and priorities, improving police responsiveness to these needs, and developing public responsibility and capacity for reducing crime. This is mostly attributable to the lack of support from the state, even though this is required by legislation. Despite this, the widespread satisfaction with the service received by those reporting crime to the police indicates that much of the basic business of policing has improved. Public safety, security and policing in the SAPS priority areas however remain a long way away from being seen as a common responsibility, or everybody's business. In the view of the general public, these activities are still very much 'police business'.