Thesis submitted in 25% completion of the degree of Master of Management in the field of Security at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, March 2018 / The provision of security to citizens had in the past been the sole responsibility of the state, this in many countries led to the militarization of the police services. The concept of community policing has since been adopted by many countries around the world as an alternative method of policing to shift policing from the traditional reactional method that focused on law enforcement, aggressive crime control with limited public interaction to an inclusive policing policy that involves communities in policing their areas. The traditional policing method isolated the police from the communities and the relationship between these parties was worsened. Previous researches on community policing found that successful implementation of the Community Policing Policy relies on a well-resourced police service and the opposite renders the concept dormant. The research focused on the South African context to explore challenges of effectiveness of Community Policing Forums (CPFs) as a vehicle in the implementation of the Community Policing Policy. CPFs are constitutional bodies established in terms of the South African Police Service Act, No 68 of 1995 to among others establish and maintain a partnership between the police and the communities, improve the delivery of police-service to the community and to ensure the police are accountable for their actions and conduct. An exploratory case study design was used to explore effectiveness of CPFs in two police stations, namely Nelspruit and Pienaar both found in the Mpumalanga Province. The research found that indeed community policing is resource intensive, and the South African Police Service is still struggling with basic resources that include functional vehicles to support CPFs to carry out their constitutional mandate. / XL2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of higher education among police officers, to determine whether these perceptions vary among county and municipal police officers, and to explore the types of suggestions that officers might have for improving the college curriculum. A survey was administered to police officers from five departments. Data analysis revealed a mixed view of the perceived value of higher education. Officers employed by municipal departments had a more positive general perceived value of higher education compared to officers employed by county sheriff’s offices. This study also found several common suggestions for improvement to the higher education curriculum, including more hands-on experience, instructors with experience as law enforcement officers, and improved writing and interpersonal communication skills.

Research relating to police stress has typically focused on officers working in urban areas, neglecting their rural counterparts. This is especially true of conservation officers, who are tasked with enforcing laws in state parks and other recreational areas. To date, only a handful of studies have sought to better understand their experiences and perceptions. This is problematic due to the fact that these officers face unique duty-related stressors and are increasingly tasked with performing more general law enforcement duties (e.g., drug enforcement, serving warrants). The current study seeks to further our understanding of the topic using survey data gathered from 346 conservation officers spread across six states. Specifically, it assesses whether officer characteristics (e.g., age, education, length of service) and frequency of performing traditional law enforcement duties influence perceived stress. Results of the multivariate analyses indicate that higher levels of education, longer tenures in the field, and a higher frequency of performing traditional duties all serve to increase officer stress. The implications of these finding for conservation agencies and their officers are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to explore the practices, perceptions, and operations of agricultural crime units. To date, there has been little research conducted on policing agricultural crimes and no known research on units specializing in investigating them. The study utilizes data gathered from qualitative interviews with agricultural crime investigators across several states to fill this gap in the literature. The results allow for an examination of the fundamental practices of agricultural units, their perceptions and their experiences. In addition, they point to several implications for both policy and practice that may serve to guide our efforts to combat the problem.

Dan village in rural South Africa managed to eradicate organised crime by resiliently mobilising the community to patrol the area and collectively take a stance against violence. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study is to critically engage the empirical data consisting of interviews and secondary sources to explore the theories of webbing and community policing. Both these theories struggle empirically to identify and cooperate with stakeholders who have the capacity to mobilise the population. To address this problem, the study engages the questions: How did community stakeholders cooperate to address crime? The findings argue that community stakeholders cooperated through a network of formal and informal relations which were centred around community meetings that generated the initiative to mobilise for neighbourhood patrols. Combining the two theories proved to yield analytical benefits when studying the case by overcoming their individual shortcomings.

Submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Community Work in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2005. / This study is about the Community policing forum of Kwamashu and its strategy of putting the youth at the forefront in the fight against crime. The study was conducted on crime prevention with more emphasis placed on community participation as is the strategy of the Department of Safety and Security. A sampling technique was used where thirty respondents who reside at Kwamashu were interviewed about community policing and youth involvement in it. Related literature that focuses on community policing and its effect on the youth was reviewed. Various recommendations have been made based on the findings of the study. The findings of the study highlighted the need for the community policing forum to market itself to the community. Community members, especially the youth, need to be motivated so that they can be active participants in the fight against crime. Research findings also indicated that the strategies used were effective but failure to communicate with the community undermined their effectiveness.

Police have been the subject of increased scrutiny over the past several years, and there exists a contention that this increased scrutiny impacted officer behavior, resulting in diminished proactive policing as officers may be performing their duties less vigorously. The study examines the effect that changes in scrutiny, as measured in terms of public interest and local news coverage, had upon police officer vigor, as measured by monthly counts of pedestrian and vehicle stops. This research is unique in that it examines the effects of scrutiny emanating from local incidents separately from that related to high profile incidents that received considerable nationwide interest; the extant research is currently limited to the latter. A series of fixed-effects negative binomial regression models examine the impact of scrutiny upon vigor over time throughout all neighborhoods in the city of Philadelphia. The study finds that local and national scrutiny do not have the same impact upon officer vigor, as scrutiny emanating from national incidents generally results in increases in officer vigor, while scrutiny emanating from local incidents results in an increase in ped stops in the first month following the scrutiny, and then a subsequent decrease in both forms of vigor in the second month. This study of police officer decision-making across space and time has both theoretical and practical implications. / Criminal Justice

A Citizen's Police Academy allows citizens to attend the police academy to learn more about police departments and police work. While increasing in popularity, very little research has focused on participant impact. This study examines the impact of the Johnson City CPA on participants' attitudes and beliefs about police work. Surveys were analyzed to discover differences in age, education levels, gender and prior interest in police work concerning satisfaction, importance of training, and behavior change. Older respondents reported the most benefit from participation, while younger respondents were more likely to change their behaviors. Those with mid level educations gained the most insight from the program. Females responded more positively about the academy than did males. Prior interest in police work had no significant impact on participants' opinions. While exploratory in nature, this study lays the groundwork for further examination of the impact of CPAs on participants' attitudes and behaviors.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether police officers perceive higher education to be important in improving their job performance and promotional opportunities, whether the perception of higher education varied by several independent variables, and the types of suggestions that officers might have for improving the college curriculum. Independent variables included gender, age, level of education, type of police agency, academic major, years of service as a police officer, and job duty. The dependent variable was scores on 3 dimensions: general attitude toward higher education, perceived utility of a criminal justice related degree, and career-related competencies. A 34- item survey was administered to police officers from five departments in Spring 2017. There was a 40.53% response rate with a total of 216 completed surveys. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t tests, one way analysis of variance tests, and Pearson r coefficients revealed a mixed view of the perceived value of higher education. Officers who had completed bachelor's degrees and those officers employed by municipal agencies had a significantly more positive perception of higher education. No significant differences were found between the independent variables and the perceived value of a criminal justice related degree or the importance of career-related competencies. This study also found several common suggestions for improvement to the higher education curriculum, including more hands-on experience, instructors with experience as law enforcement officers, and improved writing and interpersonal communication skills.