Do you trust the police?
This, according to a study by the Human Sciences Research Council.
On today's SA Morning Soapbox, we want to know: Do you trust the police? And what must be done to restore your faith in them?
eNCA reporter Theodor Mashele is in Johannesburg today, getting all your views on the SA Morning Soapbox.
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The HSRC survey also found that well-publicised instances of police abuse or failure can also seem to reduce public confidence, while perceptions of police corruption also had a strong, negative effect on police confidence. Mkhwanazi's allegations represent another decisive moment for policing in South Africa, the outcome of which will have a significant bearing on the project to rebuild public trust, said the HSRC. "Not once during this 27-year interval did more than half the adult public say that they trusted the police. This suggests that the issue of police legitimacy is by no means a new one. "Over the 1998 to 2010 period, the average level of trust in the police was relatively static. It ranged between 39% and 42% in all but a few years. This was followed by a sharp decline between 2011 and 2013, following the Marikana massacre of August 2012. However, confidence had almost returned to the 2011 level by the time of the 2015 survey round. The 2016 to 2020 period was characterised by modest fluctuation between 31% and 35%. The hard COVID-19 lockdown experience, which including instances of police brutality in enforcing lockdown regulations, did not appear to have had an aggregate effect on confidence levels based on the 2020 survey results." In 2021 public trust in the police dipped to a low of 27%, and the HSRC attributes this to the July 2021 social unrest. "This was followed by a further 5 percentage point decline to 22% in 2022, with the 2023 and 2024/25 confidence levels almost unchanged, which may reflect increasing rates for certain crimes. The 2022, 2023 and 2024/25 figures are the lowest recorded in 27 years." Experts said it was deeply concerning that the public's trust in police continues to decline. Independent crime and policing consultant, Dr Johna Burger, said the declining levels of trust and confidence in the SAPS over the last two decades were predictable, adding that the National Development Plan of 2012, Parliament's Detective Dialogue Report of September 2012 and the 2018 report by the Panel of Experts on how to strengthen and improve the SAPS are some of the reasons for this decline as none of the recommendations were implemented. 'The SAPS has, over the years, and in many instances, abused its own appointment and promotion policies, enabling them to appoint persons into senior positions for which they were not suitably qualified. The recent highly publicised appointment of a female brigadier from outside the police in Crime Intelligence is a good example." Cape Times
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A recent survey revealed that trust in SAPS is at an all time low. The findings come amid a growing political crisis following damning allegations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. Police trust in South Africa has reached its lowest level in 27 years, according to a Social Attitudes Survey released by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). The findings come amid a growing political crisis following damning allegations by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. The survey shows that only 22% of South Africans expressed confidence in the police in 2022, with similarly low levels recorded in 2023 and 2024/25. This marks the worst confidence ratings since data collection began in 1998. 'A majority of the adult public never expressed trust in the police,' said Dr Benjamin Roberts, HSRC research director and principal investigator of the study. 'The findings are expected to inform interventions aimed at restoring public faith in the police. By adopting a more community-focused and accountable approach to policing, we can work towards creating safer and more secure communities for all South Africans.' Between 1998 and 2010, trust levels hovered between 39% and 42%. Confidence fell sharply after the 2012 Marikana massacre and dipped even lower following the July 2021 unrest, when only 27% of respondents expressed trust in the police, he said.
