期刊名称：International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanity Studies
电子版ISSN：1309-8063
出版年度：2020
卷号：12
期号：1
页码：98-112
出版社：Social Sciences Research Society
摘要：Citizens’ confidence in the police is a fundamental requirement for effective
policing in modern societies. While this argument holds true for most legal and
criminological perceptions in South Africa, research studies have hardly
considered how specific segments of the population, particularly university
students, view the police. This study was therefore aimed at determining the
extent to which university students’ perception of the police shaped their
confidence in the South African Police Service (SAPS) as an institution. A
quantitative approach was adopted for the study. Data were obtained from
participants through a convenience sampling technique. A sample of 682
participants was drawn from one of the largest universities in South Africa for a
cross-sectional survey. The data were used to assess whether students’ personal
encounters with or vicarious knowledge of the police influenced their confidence
in the procedural fairness, effectiveness and trustworthiness of the members of
this institution. It was found, amongst others, that the students did not have a
favourable disposition towards the police and that this negative attitude reduced
their confidence in the police. Students’ negative perceptions were shaped by their
personal experiences of police corruption and brutality and this diminished their
trust in the police. Increased levels of fear due to escalating crime also had a negative impact on their confidence in the SAPS. The implications of these
findings for policing in contemporary South Africa are disconcerting, and the
study thus confirms that the police-student relationship in South Africa needs to
improve. For example, the police should adopt more proactive methods and a
conciliatory approach when engaging with students while carrying out their
constitutional responsibilities, whereas students, without breaking the law, should
adopt a more permissive approach when making their voice heard.
关键词：university; students; police; confidence; South Africa;
