Police

Abstract

The South African police are widely critiqued for their institutional failures and widespread corruption, but the communities in this project point to the importance of the police in efforts to address violence, punish perpetrators, and protect survivors. This is a chilling finding, given the wide discretion the police exercise in cases of abuse and violence. This chapter examines some of the factors that help police stations become positive community leaders, including sector policing, visible policing, community policing, and victim support. The chapter also reveals their overreliance on contracting out key service delivery to volunteers. Volunteers and police also expressed a high level of burnout and secondary trauma working in this sector.