Occasional Paper

The Challenges of Community Policing in South Africa

“This paper attempts to outline these challenges by providing a brief analysis of the origins of community policing in South Africa and how this influenced the conceptualisation of the later community policing policy. This is followed by a descriptive analysis of the development and
content of the policy that guides community policing in the country and the assumptions
underlying the policy. Next, the manner in which the policy has been implemented and the
impact of implementation is considered. To conclude the paper, an outline of some of the key lessons learned from the South African experience of community policing is provided.”