Examining Violent Police-Citizen Encounters in South Africa: A Focus on Suspect and Police Behaviour

Abstract

Numerous grievances have been lodged against police officers who abused their mandate to use force, which is a matter that has raised serious concern not only in policing circles but in the media as well. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) reports do not provide adequate information on how cases related to assault occurred nor when they occurred. Therefore, this empirical study was conducted to enlighten an understanding of rogue officers’ misuse of force that resulted in criminal cases of assault. The researcher conducted one-on-one interviews with ten IPID investigating officers from KwaZulu-Natal province. Through the use of a thematic analysis process, the findings revealed that police officers used force before a suspect resisted arrest, during suspect resistance and after containing a resisting suspect. Furthermore, it was revealed that police used force when a suspect questioned their procedures and became violent when a suspect was disrespectful towards the police, and sometimes as a form of intimidation even though there was no threat. Even when the threat had been contained and the suspects arrested, the police failed to cease using force. It is thus important to educate citizens about their legal rights, police procedures, and the importance of respecting not only the law but the enforcers of the law as well. In the same vein, police management should work at addressing and eradicating police involvement in criminal activities, proactively monitoring all officers’ behaviour to detect signs of excessive force, and swiftly dealing with criminal behaviour by the police. Keywords: Assault, Police, Resisting Arrest, Suspect, Use of Force