|
The public believes that the police are now less effective than two or three years ago. According to a joint national survey of public opinion on security issues conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in October 1996, 42% of respondents indicated that police effectiveness had declined, while 32% believed that the police were now more effective than two or three years ago. In the HSRC/ISS study personal interviews were conducted nationwide with 2?200 South African residents of 18 years and older. All nine provinces were included in the survey, and much care was taken to include both rural and urban areas, as well as people from all socio-economic backgrounds. The majority of whites (67%) ? and especially Afrikaans-speaking people (61%) ? are of the opinion that the police no longer effectively protect them from crime, followed by coloured respondents (53%) and Asian respondents (36%). This decline in confidence in the police is serious cause for concern as it could herald a growth in self-policing or vigilante initiatives. There is already evidence that this is the case in certain areas of the country. On the other hand, the decline of violence since 1994 has, according to recent survey evidence, increased feelings of safety and security among many black South Africans. This feeling is reflected in the HSRC/ISS findings, since blacks ? with 38% ? were the only population group who held the opinion that the police were now more effective than two years ago. The only exception was Zulu respondents (41%) who were of the view that the police were now less effective. This growing confidence among most blacks in the effectiveness of the SAPS suggests some success in the police transformation process in the townships and could indicate a higher level of legitimacy of the SAPS among the black population. Supporters of the PAC (57%) and the FF (56%) indicated the greatest willingness to do part-time military service in support of the SAPS, followed by supporters of the ANC (54%), the CP (50%), the IFP (43%) and the NP (40%). Supporters of the DP (27%) were least willing to perform part-time military service in support of the SAPS.
|
