Abstract:

Public trust in the police is an important indicator of effective policing in a democratic system. While this assertion holds true for most police research, hardly any prior studies in this field explored university students’ perceptions of the police. In light of this gap, the study on which this paper is based sought to elucidate students’ perceptions of the South African Police Service. A quantitative approach was adopted and a sample of 682 (n=682) participants was drawn at one of the largest universities in South Africa for a cross-sectional survey of students’ perceptions. The specific goal was to assess whether students’ trust in the police was shaped by their perceptions of the Police Service in general, and police officers’ behaviour in particular. The findings indicated that students generally had an unfavourable disposition towards the police and that this disposition affected their trust in police officials. The findings also suggested that male students’ perceptions of the police differed a great deal from those of female students. In general, it was found that university students viewed the police as unfair and corrupt and that these negative perceptions consistently engendered mistrust in the police. These findings corroborate broader assertions that the relationship between the police and the public in South Africa is poor and that police brutality, corruption, and a range of other police misconducts erode public trust in the South African Police Service. It was concluded that, if students’ perceptions have to be changed, the contributory factors to police misconduct must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Moreover, programs that will aid and sustain positive student–police relationships should be introduced and encouraged.

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