The main criticism leveled at the body that oversees the work of South Africa’s elite police unit, the Hawks, is that it lacks the power to initiate investigations, making it ineffective.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Policing – Analysis and Comment
The Baltimore Police Department is found to have violated the civil rights of poor blacks. A historian explains why those findings are eerily similar to how the city treated blacks in the 1800s.
Mark Duggan was shot by the police in 2011, but it took two-and-a-half years to complete an inquest into his death.
Think it’s stressful visiting a police station? Try doing it when you can’t hear.
In what circumstances can police search your phone? Must they obtain a search warrant? And what will happen if you refuse to provide your passcode or fingerprint required to access your phone?
France has been in a state of emergency since November 2015, and yet a man was still able to plough a truck through a huge Bastille Day crowd.
The gap between American police departments and the black communities they’re meant to protect is huge – but it can be closed.
Technology poses a challenge to how we treat suspects and police society.
Video of Philando Castile’s death has been seen around the world – and it’s all the more powerful because of who shot it.
For 50 years, we have worked to make U.S. police more diverse and less intrusive. Why haven’t we made more progress?
Drug-detection dogs don’t stop most drug use. And they have been shown to encourage more dangerous practices, criminalise and traumatise marginalised groups, and render all as potential suspects.
In response to high levels of crime, South Africans have turned their homes into fortresses, seeking security behind high walls. But doing so might be counter-productive.
Government agencies are turning to social media as a new way to engage with their constituencies. Practitioners in the trenches are excited about the possibilities – while some academics are less so.
With the Scottish government’s reputation for policing and justice charred from nine years in office, here’s what the future looks like.
Australia has become less compassionate, more punitive and more ready to blame individuals for their alleged failings since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Many of us will be able to vote for police chiefs next month, but has the system managed to soothe the concerns of its critics?
French efforts to dismantle the Jungle migrant camp are leaving crucial volunteer services at risk.
Reform of police departments must include a reexamination of why cops and civilians come in contact so frequently in the first place.
Innocent people do confess under interrogation to crimes they did not commit, even providing details about the crime. What leads them to falsely confess to very serious crimes?
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia have introduced restrictive “consorting” laws. But are the laws justified? Are they an efficient and effective way to combat organised crime?
The legal status of private security staff is, for the most part, decidedly uncertain.
Police are important, but not sufficient, in the crime-reduction effort. I have enormous faith in their abilities, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we need more of them.
As Queensland considers new laws to curb alcohol-fuelled violence in response to a one-punch death, several policy experiments that have occurred in recent years can provide valuable lessons.
More than 1,000 people have been killed by police in the US this year alone. Unlike the officer who shot Laquan McDonald, few are ever charged.
American police kill 100 times more civilians than Finnish police. Racism and gun control are just part of the problem.