ISS Paper 150.indd

This research paper reviews corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS), highlighting a disconnect between high-level anti-corruption policies and their implementation at the station level. It notes a pervasive culture of secrecy and low public trust, while detailing a new 2007 strategic plan based on prevention, detection, investigation, and restoration, though it warns that the plan is under-resourced.

• Public trust in the South African police is low, with a strong correlation between perceived corruption and lack of trust. A 2006 Afrobarometer survey found that 48% of citizens believe most police are corrupt, and 50% have little to no trust in the police.
• The South African Police Service (SAPS) has a history of failing to implement its anti-corruption strategies. The Service Integrity Strategy (SIS) was reported as operational between 2002 and 2004 but was never actually implemented; its content was later integrated into the Corruption and Fraud Prevention Strategy (CFPS), which also remained unimplemented for a period.
• There is a significant gap between national anti-corruption rhetoric and the reality at the station level. Interviews with officers at twelve stations across five provinces revealed that not one station had heard of any organisational anti-corruption strategy or guidelines, with some relying on 'common sense' to fight corruption.
• The SAPS Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), established in 1996, reported 23,246 cases by 2001, resulting in 638 convictions, but was closed by the National Commissioner in 2002 amid rumours of accountability issues and tension over transformation.
• Police corruption in South Africa manifests in various forms, including 'kickbacks' from tow truckers, 'shakedowns' of sex workers, protection of illegal casinos, and 'flaking' or 'padding' where evidence is planted to solve cases.
• Internal surveys of SAPS members in the Johannesburg area (2004) indicate a culture of secrecy; 92% agreed corruption is a serious challenge, and 68.6% believed most members would not report a corrupt colleague.
• The SAPS's new Corruption and Fraud Prevention Plan (CFPP) and Risk Management Strategy (RMS) aim to target 169 high-contact crime stations. The plan is based on four pillars: Prevention, Detection, Investigation, and Restoration.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). ISS Paper 150.indd. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper150pdf.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. ISS Paper 150.indd. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper150pdf.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=ISS Paper 150.indd |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper150pdf.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndiss, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{ISS Paper 150.indd}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper150pdf.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }