KEEPING THE POLICE IN CHECK

This research paper evaluates the effectiveness of the national and provincial secretariats for safety and security in providing civilian oversight of the South African Police Service (SAPS). It finds that while these bodies were established to ensure democratic accountability and transparency, their impact has been limited and inconsistent, often functioning as ad hoc monitoring structures rather than robust oversight mechanisms.

• Civilian oversight of the South African Police Service (SAPS) remains critical due to rising police misconduct. Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) statistics for 2003/04 show a 35% increase in deaths in police custody or resulting from police action, a 47% increase in reports of serious criminal offences by SAPS members, and a 28% increase in reported incidents of misconduct compared to 2002/03.
• The national secretariat for safety and security has experienced a significant decline in influence and capacity since 1999. Following the appointment of Minister Steve Tshwete, the national secretary's post was downgraded from director general to deputy director general, and the secretariat's role in formulating policing policy was substantially weakened.
• There is a significant disparity in autonomy between the national secretariat and the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD). While the ICD's executive director is its own accounting officer, the national commissioner of police serves as the accounting officer for the national secretariat, placing the secretariat in a subservient position.
• Provincial secretariats operate with varying levels of funding and effectiveness, often depending on the personalities of the Members of the Executive Council (MECs). For example, the Western Cape Department of Community Safety had a budget of R151,436,000 for 2004/05, whereas the Northern Cape's budget was R11,997,000.
• The evaluation concludes that the secretariats have failed to function as true civilian oversight mechanisms, instead acting as structures for ad hoc monitoring, policy advice, and coordination of crime prevention projects. They suffer from a lack of national coordination, vision, and influence at the police station level.
• The study recommends a strategic review of the secretariats' raison d'etre and a realignment of their roles. Key suggestions include regaining the national secretariat's role as a policy advice think tank, implementing uniform training on policy analysis and evaluation, and formalising cooperation between secretariats, the ICD, and SAPS.

APA

Mistry, D., & Klipin, J. (2004). KEEPING THE POLICE IN CHECK. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/01-dec-2004-sacq-no-10/keeping-the-police-in-check

Chicago

Mistry, Duxita, and Judy Klipin. KEEPING THE POLICE IN CHECK. Institute for Security Studies, 2004. https://issafrica.org/01-dec-2004-sacq-no-10/keeping-the-police-in-check.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mistry |first1=Duxita |last2=Klipin |first2=Judy |title=KEEPING THE POLICE IN CHECK |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=1 December 2004 |url=https://issafrica.org/01-dec-2004-sacq-no-10/keeping-the-police-in-check |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mistry2004keeping, author = {Mistry, Duxita and Klipin, Judy}, title = {{KEEPING THE POLICE IN CHECK}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2004}, month = dec, url = {https://issafrica.org/01-dec-2004-sacq-no-10/keeping-the-police-in-check}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }