Generating Safety from Below

Community Safety Groups and the Policing Nexus in Durban

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22336125
AutoresMonique Marks (0000-0002-4926-6972, University of KwaZulu-Natal, autor correspondente), Debby Bonnin (0000-0003-0104-3646, University of KwaZulu-Natal)
Ano2010
Volume41
Fascículo1
Páginas56-77
Data de publicação2010-04-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSociety in Transition (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1028-9852 • E-ISSN: 2072-1978
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21528581003676036
OpenAlexW2081913058
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas21

Drawing on research work conducted in the city of Durban, this article demonstrates that, to a large extent, policing functions are being carried out by agents other than the police. The article explores community safety groupings operating in three diverse areas in the greater Durban area. We demonstrate in this article that these groups have divergent mentalities and technologies, but that they share common goals and outcomes. We argue that community cohesion and social action have a positive impact on localised feelings of safety and pride of place. What we also show is that there appears to be a shared understanding on the part of the police and community groupings that the police should operate as ‘minimalist’ actors. We argue that instead of trying to be all things to all people – the hub of broad security governance – the state police should hone in on their core functions and intervene when communities request such intervention. This would allow the police to be more effective, community oriented and targeted in the work they do

Collective action · Community cohesion · Community policing · Corporate governance · Criminology · Group cohesiveness · Management · Political science · Pride · Public relations · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Engineering · Law · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Psychology