STOPPING COP KILLING

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines research on the killings of South African Police Service (SAPS) members, analyzing risk profiles, circumstances of death, and perpetrator motives to inform police safety strategies.

• Killings of police members in South Africa escalated significantly in the early 1990s, peaking at 280 deaths in 1993 and remaining above 200 per year until 2000. While 2001 recorded the lowest number of killings since 1990, the levels are still considered unacceptably high.
• Research indicates a risk profile where the majority of victims are black police members killed by black male assailants in areas that are predominantly black. However, it remains unclear if black members are more vulnerable or if this reflects the racial composition and deployment of the SAPS.
• Police killings are generally categorized into three types of circumstances: killings in response to police intervention (where police usually initiate involvement), robberies and other attacks (which can be random or targeted), and killings resulting from domestic, recreational, or occupational disputes.
• There is a statistical contradiction in the research: while some data suggests killings in response to police intervention are the most common, consistently over 60% of police killings occur while the officers are off duty.
• Motives for killing police include avoiding arrest, robbery, and self-defence. In a study of 26 convicted killers, 42% cited avoiding arrest as the motive. Regarding robbery, firearms were stolen from the deceased in 15% of 754 cases, though it is often unclear if the firearm was the primary target or taken opportunistically.
• Perceptions of police brutality and the fear of 'street justice' may motivate suspects to kill officers in self-defence. Some killers reported that police shoot too quickly upon arrival or fail to identify themselves, leading suspects to believe they are being attacked by robbers.
• Alcohol and internal conflict are significant risk factors; in one sample, 16% of victims had been intoxicated, and between 6% and 9% of perpetrators were fellow SAPS members.
• The document suggests that the carrying of firearms by SAPS members, especially those who are emotionally unstable or abuse alcohol, aggravates violence by making them targets for robbery and increasing the likelihood of violent responses during confrontations.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2002). STOPPING COP KILLING. https://issafrica.org/01-nov-2002-sacq-no-2/stopping-cop-killing

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. STOPPING COP KILLING. 2002. https://issafrica.org/01-nov-2002-sacq-no-2/stopping-cop-killing.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=STOPPING COP KILLING |date=October 2002 |url=https://issafrica.org/01-nov-2002-sacq-no-2/stopping-cop-killing |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2002stopping, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{STOPPING COP KILLING}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2002}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.org/01-nov-2002-sacq-no-2/stopping-cop-killing}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }