Critical Analysis of Strategies Towards Creating an Adequate Level of Awareness on Cybercrime among the Youth in Gauteng Province

This study aims to determine any measures taken by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to create awareness about cybercrime among the youth in the selected policing areas in the Gauteng province. A qualitative research method was applied using semi-structured interviews to find the views of participants, of measures if any, to create youths’ awareness in the area of cybercrime. A total of 37 participants comprised of 29 youths aged between 19 and 35 years, including an additional eight participants from the SAPS Crime Intelligence Unit who agreed to participate. Among these participants, there were 18 females and 19 males. The findings highlighted that there was a lack of awareness on the measures taken by the SAPS in educating the youth about the risks associated with cybercrime. The other challenges highlighted by the SAPS were a lack of capacity, resources, and training to increase the technical skills amongst the SAPS members to work effectively on cybercrime-related challenges, lack of collaboration among role players to respond adequately to cybercrime, and ineffective implementation of cybercrime policies, therefore, there was a lack of cybercrime-related campaigns. Based on the findings, five themes were explored in this study, including a lack of capacity, resources, and training to increase the technical skills amongst the SAPS members to work effectively on cybercrime-related challenges, lack of collaboration among role players to respond adequately to cybercrime and ineffective implementation of cybercrime policies. The recommendations are provided as a potential step towards tailoring education packages and awareness programs to ensure at-risk groups are equipped with actionable mechanisms to protect themselves against cybercrimes

A Sustainable Future for all Towards Reduction of Gender-Based-Violence and Femicide in Communities of Learning: A Strategic Perspective

Given the reality of the prevalence of all forms of violence such as but not limited to physical, sexual assault, domestic violence (DV), verbal abuse, harassment, stalking, child marriage, economic deprivation, survival sex in a form of exploitation in exchange for access to subsistence resources and forced prostitution, psychological violence or gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). Being a victim of violence in communities of learning has lifelong impacts on education, health, and well-being of victims. Exposure to violence can lead to educational under achievement due to cognitive, emotional, and social problems. It is argued that GBV is the most extreme expression of unequal gender relations in society and one of the most widespread violations of human rights. While GBV disproportionally affects women and girls, it also affects men and boys. These abuses take place all over the world in homes, places of worship, schools, workplaces, and communities. This paper provides an overview of factors leading to GBVF, impact and effects on the victim as well as methods to eliminate its occurrence were revealed by the analysis. Becoming aware of factors contributing to GBVF and strategies to address this scourge can minimise the occurrence of GBVF in learning communities. Understanding the concepts and strategies to prevent the occurrence of GBV can assist learning communities to minimise these incidences

‘Black like Me’: A Critical Analysis of Arrest Practices Based on Skin Color in the Gauteng Province, South Africa

Objective: This article looks at the everyday life and realities of current practices employed by the South African Police Service (SAPS) officials, by shedding light on the experiences and practices on profiling search and effecting arrest based on race and skin color in the Gauteng Province. Particularly, this article examines the experiences of the SAPS officials to measure police perception of the skin color of foreign nationals, and to establish if wrongful arrests were linked to skin color stereotyping. Methods: The theoretical approach employed the social identity theory (SIT) was used to interpret the results. A survey questionnaire consisting of the New Immigration Survey (NIS) Skin Color Scale with 10 shades of skin color mapped to a pictorial guide, as well as a self-report measure on wrongful arrests, was administered to 80 SAPS officials, who performed visible policing duties. The research sample consisted of two SAPS groups from two different contexts, namely township and urban contexts. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to conduct Pearson’s correlation and comparative analyses. Results: The results showed that the SAPS officials stereotyped foreign nationals as dark-skinned. The skin color stereotype was, however, not correlated to wrongful arrests. The study concluded that although respondents perceived that South Africans were distinguishable from foreign nationals based on skin color or tone, identification processes were not influenced by this stereotype belief

Through critical eyes of the public: Factors influencing professionalism in the detective service in the Gauteng Province

This study aimed to determine what general detective attributes are considered professional in the South African Police Service (SAPS) based on public assessments. This study followed a quantitative research approach and utilized a non-probability, purposive, or judgmental sampling technique. The findings confirmed that good attributes such as acting with integrity, in line with the values and ethical standards of the SAPS, expand on earlier studies that suggested informal contact raises public opinion of the police. It could be that those predisposed to be more favorable are likelier to initiate informal contact with officers. In any event, it seems likely that promoting informal social contact may favorably influence public opinion. The SAPS may want to evaluate how they encourage or discourage informal contact with residents. It would seem then, from the findings of this study, that if more general detectives would portray greater attributes when interacting with the public, there would be more legitimacy, less victimization, less fear of crime, lower perceived levels of violent crime, a lower perceived disorder in one’s neighborhood, and higher neighborhood cohesion and control

Through critical eyes of the public: Factors influencing professionalism in the detective service in the Gauteng Province

This study aimed to determine what general detective attributes are considered professional in the South African Police Service (SAPS) based on public assessments. This study followed a quantitative research approach and utilized a non-probability, purposive, or judgmental sampling technique. The findings confirmed that good attributes such as acting with integrity, in line with the values and ethical standards of the SAPS, expand on earlier studies that suggested informal contact raises public opinion of the police. It could be that those predisposed to be more favorable are likelier to initiate informal contact with officers. In any event, it seems likely that promoting informal social contact may favorably influence public opinion. The SAPS may want to evaluate how they encourage or discourage informal contact with residents. It would seem then, from the findings of this study, that if more general detectives would portray greater attributes when interacting with the public, there would be more legitimacy, less victimization, less fear of crime, lower perceived levels of violent crime, a lower perceived disorder in one’s neighborhood, and higher neighborhood cohesion and control

Evaluation of Trainees’ Post-Training Competency in the South African Police Service

This paper presents the findings on the respondents’ perceptions of trainees’ competency after completing training. A survey was conducted among 329 respondents from 13 police stations in the Johannesburg policing area using a questionnaire. The findings revealed that contextual factors, namely effectiveness, training environment and trainer’s skills as well as adequate resources towards development have a positive impact on the programme conducted at the training centres. Furthermore, the findings highlighted that the respondents were of the view that, since the inception of new methods of training after the 1994 democratic elections, the South African Police Service (SAPS) had demonstrated a progressive development towards responding to community matters. However, there were gaps in the training and development programmes such as lack of resources, the blanket approach to training and the training models focusing on current challenges rather than future trends. To address these challenges within the SAPS and ensure that there is effective training and development for organisational performance, there is a need to ensure that there are adequate resources for training and development. The training and development procedures within the SAPS also need to adopt international standards. The management at the Johannesburg Training Centre also needs to come up with an effective strategy to identify the needs and skills gaps of employees and ensure that these are addressed in an ever-changing and improving training and development strategy. This study provides critical input and makes a contribution to the literature related to training in the SAPS in South Africa

Stakeholders as catalyst to human trafficking: A case study of three selected areas of Gauteng province, South Africa

Transnational crime with its perpetual impact has been substantially explored in research. Stakeholder organisations’ involvement as catalyst towards secondary victimisation of human trafficking victims is generally an afterthought for several organisations and individuals in South Africa. There is almost no knowledge on stakeholders’ involvement as catalyst in the process of perpetuating human trafficking in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. Thus, the victims suffer from the double jeopardy, as they suffer first, in the hands of perpetrators, and secondly, by stakeholder organisations. This article examines the contribution of stakeholders in the process of exploitation of victims of human trafficking in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. A qualitative research approach was adopted, to explore corruptive practices by stakeholders in the process of providing safety and security services in cognisance to human rights of victims in the study area. The findings collected through semi-structured interviews with a total number of 36 participants comprising South African Police Service (SAPS) Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) officials, members of Department of Social Development (DSD); members of Department of Home Affairs (DHA), and members of Department of Social Development (DSD); suggest that stakeholders remain indifferent to violating human rights of victims. Stakeholders have thus acted as catalyst for increased secondary exploitation of victims. Stakeholder engagement in anti-trafficking policy implementation and service responses are insufficient because of the lack of integrated approach, to adequately implement policy and promote cooperative strategic partnerships. Together, these findings suggest that all relevant stakeholder organisations should assist in minimising the challenge of victim victimisation

The Impact of Illicit Drug Networks on the Effectiveness of Law Enforcement in South Africa

In the past few years, South Africa has experienced an enormous increase in the amount and types of illicit drug manufacturing, distribution and use. This has resulted in an increase in the burden of crime and health risks in the community. The patterns of drug availability and drug use have been linked to regional and country variations, socio-economic status, racial and geographical differences. Because of the dramatic increase in the availability of various illicit drugs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime World Drug Report (2012) identified South Africa as one of the drug centres of the world. This raises concerns about whether law enforcement agencies perform their functions effectively. This paper focuses on the illicit drug networks that hinder the effectiveness of law enforcement in South Africa. The modus operandi used to produce and smuggle illicit drugs and the challenges experienced by law enforcement to prevent and combat illicit drugs will be discussed. The data was collected through in-depth interviews with experts within the criminal justice system in South Africa. The study conducted in 2017/ 2018 in terms of the scientific measurements, has adopted a qualitative approach. Data was collected from a target population consisting of 11 SAPS drug-related crime experts, including members of the SAPS specialised detectives of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), crime intelligence members, border police, the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and commanders at ports of entries. A documentary study was used as a secondary method of data collection. Data obtained from interviews were analysed by identifying common themes from the respondents' descriptions of their experiences

The paradox of safety between pastors and female congregants

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a world concern; however, in South Africa it has been declared as a national crisis that is embedded in the social-cultural context and history of the country. One of the greatest challenges in South Africa is the high unemployment rate and the pressure to fit into society. Some of those unemployed South Africans go to church for prayers with the hope to get employed. Unemployed South Africans are vulnerable due to unemployment and pressure to fit in, and this is sometimes influenced by social media. Some pastors take advantage of these individuals either by asking them to plant a “seed” (money) or taking advantaged of them sexually. Women, young and old are the most vulnerable in church, the pressure to get employment, to get married, to stay married, to have children etc. are the most common prayer requests from women in church. GBV in South Africa have been an ongoing investigation by various disciplines. One of the most difficult and sensitive realities to investigate is the existence of clergy who abuse women they are supposed to care for as caregivers. The Church has been in the front line in spearheading programms within it to deal with GBV but little to done are said about Pastors as perpetrators directly the problem of GBV has been further fueled by socio status, poverty, gender and equality issues, African culture, long-standing silence about a problem that undermines the very foundations of pastoral work and institutional Christianity: sexual abuse of women by pastors. The aim of this article to challenge theology and the church on how the cycle of perpetrators among pastors can be broken and what role can pastoral counsellors’ play regarding both victims and offenders to prevent history from repeating itself and assure female congregants of their safety in church, this study will use literature review

Sharpening the Axe: Identifying and Closing Gaps Within the Training Space of the South African Private Security Industry

The ever-present threat of crime in South Africa continues to drive the rise and demand for Private Security Industry (PSI) services amongst various governmental institutions, businesses and citizens to ensure their safety. This rise for the Private Security Services (PSS) persistently presents new challenges to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) such as poor security training standards and deployment of untrained security officers attached to the Private Security Companies (PSCs), which negatively impacts the professionalism of the security industry. This study was guided by this objective: Identifying and closing the gaps within South African training space of PSI. This qualitative study was guided by the exploratory research design. The judgemental sampling technique was adopted to sample 40 participants confined to Gauteng (GP), Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) and Western Cape (WC) Provinces. The selected relevant stakeholders were attached to the South African Police Service (SAPS), Department of Labour (DoLl), Department of Home Affairs (DoH), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the legal fraternity) and the PSI Directors and security officers to form part of the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and hybrid semi-structured interviews. The findings highlighted that the majority of the participants agreed that the private security industry training space is affected by security service providers letting PSiRA down by not training at, but rather engaging in, criminal activity through selling and people buying PSiRA security certificates. Some of the challenges mentioned include; poor training standards, non-compliance to legislated training standards, unqualified security training facilitators and outdated security Grades, misuse of security equipment leading to serious injuries and death, corruption in the industry, some of it being perpetrated by PSiRA inspectors, the very people who are supposed to keep the industry in check. This study recommends that, in order to overcome the challenges in the security training space, PSiRA needs to do away with the outdated security Grades by developing a new policy framework which will enable the creation of a new security-training curriculum and revise the training methods to suit the ever-changing security industry