Police officers' experiences of policing domestic violence in the Western Cape Province

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Domestic violence is one of the most prevalent forms of violence that police officialsencounter on a daily basis. The effects of domestic violence are far-reaching andlong-lasting. Globally, the police function as 'gatekeepers in terms of domesticviolence victims' access to the criminal justice system. Intervening in domesticviolence has become a controversial process, as domestic violence is a verycomplex issue, which has been compounded by misunderstandings, stereotypingand myths.Since 1998, police officials in the South African Police Service (SAPS) are expectedto promote redress and prevent crimes against women and children throughmultifaceted approaches, including the building of trust between police officials andcitizens. Research reports indicate that victims of domestic violence are hesitant toapproach SAPS for assistance, for various reasons. Police officers' personalexperiences of policing domestic violence are however largely unexplored.Consequently, the goal of this research was to gain insight into the experiences andperceptions of frontline police officials, who have to provide maximum protection tovictims of domestic abuse in terms of the Domestic Violence Act 116 of 1998. Toachieve the goal and objectives of the study, a combination approach was followed,in which the qualitative research approach dominated and the quantitative approachwas applied to a lesser degree. An exploratory study guided by a literature reviewand a phenomenological approach was conducted at seven (7) police stations in theWestern Cape Province. Twenty-eight (28) frontline police officials' subjectiveexperiences and perceptions of their policing of domestic violence were determinedthrough in-depth interviews based on a questionnaire.Data were analysed by means of thematic analysis, and presented as narrativesfocusing on four major themes relating to the phenomenon under investigation.The conclusions drawn from the study indicated that the pervasive police culture,lack of insight by some police officials, and their continuous adherence to an outdated concept of domestic violence contribute to the weakening implementationof current domestic violence legislation, leaving police officials frustrated, hopelessand powerless to effect real change. The overall finding of the study is that, inpractice, little has changed because of inconsistencies in the actions of the policeand society as a whole in rejecting and condemning the brutalisation and intimidationof women and children. What is most unfortunate, however, is that SAPS has yet toaccord the same weight to domestic violence in practice as it does to other violentcrimes. In order for law enforcement to be effective, law reforms need to beaccompanied by fundamental changes in attitudes, values and behaviours on thepart of SAPS and all relevant role players, including the communities SAPS serves.The study concludes with recommendations on how to improve police officials' abilityto provide maximum protection to victims of domestic violence, as well as to provideprogramme developers and policy makers in SAPS with information on which tobase policy decisions regarding training interventions and national instructions aimedat the policing of domestic violence.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University