One Burden Too Many? A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Immigration Policing in Gauteng

South African policing stands at a critical juncture. The police have negotiated more than a decade of democratic change. Still, there is growing uncertainty about whether the South African Police Service (SAPS) remains capable of meeting the challenges of building an open democratic society. On the one hand, the police are responsible for addressing a crime problem that is now of a scale and character with few international parallels. On the other, we find that public confidence in the police is low. High-profile stories, such as the charges laid against former Police Commissioner, Jackie Selebi, have dominated the headlines. However, negative public perceptions of everyday encounters and relationships with local police officers are equally concerning. For several years now, the Forced Migration Studies Programme (FMSP) has been working with the police and communities in South Africa. Our work has primarily been motivated by a need to address the challenges that international migrants present for domestic policing and crime-fighting initiatives.