OPINION: South Africa is facing continued growth in violent crime, and reconfigured policing strategies designed to tackle the problem seem to have had little success; Stellenbosch University’s Dr Guy Lamb argues that a more collaborative approach from police working with local communities, and the proper funding and implementation of the country’s Integrated Crime and Violence Prevention Strategy, would be the most effective way forward.

OPINION: With more than 100 reported in rapes in South Africa every day, sexual violence across the country is seemingly endemic; Professor Amanda Gouws of Stellenbosch University believes that attempts by police and Government to deliver quick fixes – such as the recent ANC policy calling for the chemical castration of rapists – are destined to fail, with long-term cultural and criminal justice measures the only real option.

OPINION: South Africa’s Defence Minister recently lamented the low levels of public trust in policing; research by Dr Benjamin Roberts and Dr Steven Gordon of the Human Sciences Research Council found that while a lack of confidence in policing is nothing new, levels dipped in 2021, and suggest steps such as increasing policing accountability, reducing the militaristic police ethos and promoting competent and ethical leadership will need to be taken to restore that confidence.

FEATURE: The illegal trafficking of wild animals feeds a major global market, and involves a huge range of species; now a new series of briefings on this illicit trade – starting with a focus on live cheetahs and African Elephant ivory – is highlighting the challenges of tackling animal trafficking as well as how routes and markets have responded to COVID-19, as Policing Insight’s Chris Allen reports.

OPINION: There are conflicting views over whether proposed amendments to South African law, which would reduce the number of licensed firearms and rule out the acquisition of a firearm for self-defence, will have the desired effect on gun crime in the country; but criminologist and lecturer Dr Guy Lamb of Stellenbosch University argues that the legislation changes are an important element in the efforts of the Government and police to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

ANALYSIS: COVID-19 has seen fraudsters taking advantage of the pandemic economy, and Africa has not escaped the attentions of those intent on fraud; Research Associate Nataliya Mykhalchenko and Lecturer Jörg Wiegratz, both of the University of Leeds, set out some of the key findings from their latest research into the responses to fraud, and the major characteristics of anti-fraud measures, across 11 African countries.

FEATURE: New research has highlighted the hugely profitable, ‘industrial scale’ wildlife crime taking place in West Africa, co-ordinated largely by organised crime groups, as well as the potential for financial investigators to target the criminals; Policing Insight’s Chris Allen looks at the options for tackling a severely damaging global trade, often undertaken at a local level by some of the world’s poorest people.

OPINION: The death earlier this year of Mthokozisi Ntumba, shot by police as he walked past a student protest, has highlighted South Africa’s painful history of police using excessive force against protesters; Frans Viljoen, Professor of International Human Rights Law, believes a recently published report on public order policing, and a proposed amendment to the South African Police Act, could be a catalyst for change.