3 days ago
Changing patterns of trust in the police
SAPS cars are seen during an inspections on spaza shops in Naledi, Soweto. AFP/Shiraaz Mohamed
JOHANNESBURG - Public trust in the police has taken a serious knock, and the latest data confirms it.
A new study by the Human Sciences Research Council shows that most South Africans have never had much trust in the police, with the little they had declining steadily over the past two decades.
And now the SA Police Service faces serious questions about integrity, following explosive allegations linking senior officials to crime syndicates.
Dr Benjamin Roberts, research director of its Developmental, Capable and Ethical State division, said there's been a general decline in trust.