Transforming safety and security in Southern Africa: Some trends and more challenges

Two decades ago one would have had to search hard for evidence of any real debate on the police in Africa. Much has changed in the intervening years. As the Cold War came to an end, regional contestations in Namibia, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa made way for relative peace, with some unhappy exceptions. Political transitions towards democracy have been accompanied by elaborate state-building efforts. These efforts also trickled down to the institutions of the security sector, including the rather ramshackle and authoritarian police forces that were characteristic of states from Cape to Cairo. As international influences of various degrees of benignity applied increasing pressure, and citizen outrage was allowed an outlet, the modernising project of police reform was spawned, and has given birth to a veritable cottage industry.

Related Subject(s): Democracy and Governance