Promoting public participation in community policing forums : The case of the Stellenbosch Local Municipality

Abstract

Public participation and community policing are central constructs in this study. The study revealed that community policing as a new approach and style of policing should become embedded in all operational activities and in the organisational culture of the South African Police Service (SAPS) as the primary law enforcement body. This is essential to adhere to the Constitutional mandate and statutory obligations of SAPS. Community policing can be conceptualised as a police-community partnership where local communities become key stakeholders in preventing crime. The study revealed that community involvement in policing through utilising various public participation mechanisms and opportunities is critical to an effective police-community partnership in crime prevention endeavours. Sections 214 to 223 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, indicate that the SAPS must serve as a partner in crime along with communities regarding the safety and security of civil society. SAPS is further obligated to ensure effective and efficient public consultation regarding crime-related issues as well as ensure the public is afforded an opportunity to be part of police decision-making through the use of public participation mechanisms. Therefore, this study embarked on an empirical investigation into public participation in Community Policing Forums (CPFs) within the Stellenbosch Local Municipality as case study. Two police stations in Stellenbosch, namely Stellenbosch Police Station and Cloetesville Police Station, were sampled since these Stations have established CPFs in compliance with Section 64 of the SAPS Act 68 of 1995. A number of challenges experienced by the respective CPFs in Stellenbosch and Cloetesville were identified. This included a lack of adequate public participation in matters regarding public safety as well as the absence of a public participation strategy to foster public participation in crime prevention efforts. Based on the challenges identified in the empirical investigation of this study a number of recommendations aimed at the development of a comprehensive public participation strategy were introduced in the final chapter. The recommendations will make a significant contribution to encourage public participation in CPFs. This include the realisation of broader achievements such as active citizenry, a new community policing philosophy, transparency and information sharing on a continuous basis that will better equip police crime intelligence in preventing crime, as well as the praxis of community policing.