A Thin or a Thick Blue Line? Exploring Alternative Models for Community Policing and the Police Role in South Africa

Abstract

In South Africa, police and public authorities acknowledge that feelings of insecurity are rising, and that diverse ‘nodes’ for governing security have been established. As such, the notion of a police monopoly is more a dream than a reality. In this light, we suggest that public policing policies and practices surrounding partnerships reveal an incoherent vision. We suggest that this lack of clarity actually provides opportunities for designing innovative partnerships for the nodal governance of security that hinge on a ‘core’ and publicly symbolic role for the police.