This democracy is killing us
Perceptions of rights and democracy in the South African Police Service
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4251038 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Harvey Brooks (0000-0003-4995-5310, University of Johannesburg, corresponding author), Heidi Brooks |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 165-187 |
| Publication date | 2020-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022278x20000191 |
| OpenAlex | W3082886140 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 26 |
Police reform in South Africa has been a crucial component of democratic consolidation. Yet recent research presents a contrasting set of opinions, indicating low levels of public trust in the South African Police Service (SAPS), but continued belief in their right to enforce the law, and a strong sense of isolation amongst officers themselves. As police are constitutive of the officers who populate their ranks, attention should be given to how 'democracy' is perceived by those charged with its protection. Through a series of interviews, this article examines how SAPS officers understand and experience 'democracy'. Situating officers in the broader society and communities in which they work, it shows that officers conceive of democracy predominantly through the lens of 'rights' and that their role in protecting rights is complicated by the transitional nature of South Africa's democracy. It also provides insight into a sense of disempowerment amongst officers, suggesting negative conceptions of thequalityof democracy and of thebalanceof liberal constitutionalism with the democratic impetus of building safer communities
Closure (psychology) · Consolidation (business) · Democracy · Economics · Isolation (microbiology) · Liberal democracy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Legal Issues in South Africa · Policing Practices and Perceptions · Public Administration · South African History and Culture
The Truth about Crime
Black and Blue
State Violence and Human Rights
Law and disorder in the postcolony
Law and Disorder in the Postcolony
Who governs? Democracy, plutocracy, science and prophecy in policing
Human Rights and Policing
Threading the thin blue line
Establishing police authority and civilian compliance in post-apartheid Johannesburg
The importance of liberal values within policing
Policing, Recognition, and Belonging
Security and Disappointment
Democracy & its Discontents
What price fairness when security is at stake? Police legitimacy in South Africa
Rejecting Rights
Volatile Sovereignty
Decolonising and re-theorising the meaning of democracy
The Rise of Illiberal Democracy
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |