Criminology Staff Testify at the Khayelitsha Commission

Criminology Staff Testify at the Khayelitsha Commission
14 July 2014

The Commission of Inquiry into allegations of police inefficiency in Khayelitsha and a breakdown in relations between the community and the police in Khayelitsha - known, in short, as the Khayelitsha Commission on policing - was established by the Premier of the Western Cape government in mid-2012. During the second phase of this process a number of policing experts were called to testify, including, Julie Berg of the Centre of Criminology, Prof. John Cartwright, an associate of the Centre of Criminology and Guy Lamb, Director of UCT’s Safety and Violence Initiative. Berg, Cartwright and Lamb compiled a report which outlines recommendations on how to improve policing in Khayelitsha and also testified to the Commission on the 15th May. Key recommendations coming out of the report include the need for a more professional police service as well as a 'whole-of-society' approach to policing, which entails developing dynamic and flexible cooperative relationships among a range of state and non-state entities, including the community itself.