Implementation of Sector Policing in Hillbrow

Abstract

Sector policing is one of the “new” policing methods introduced by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the post democratic South Africa1. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the implementation of sector policing in Hillbrow, a suburb in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. The study assessed the roles of different stakeholders in the application of the sector policing approach in the research area. The scientific inquiry employed the case study research design, while data was collected through semi-structured as well as focus group interviews. The study confirmed that application of sector policing have yielded positive outcomes in terms of preventing and combating crime in Hillbrow. This includes improve police service delivery as well enhanced community-police relations. It was also found that there is a variety of challenges that limit the effectiveness of sector policing in the area. These incorporate, among others, allegations of criminality by some of the members of the SAPS and Patrollers based in Hillbrow, inadequate training and insufficient resource allocation. In order to intensive the fight against crime in Hillbrow, it is recommended that more resources should be allocated and key stakeholders involved in the implementation of sector policing should be adequately trained

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n3p135