Browsing by Subject "Police"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Open Access
    AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF A SPECIAL KIND: Recent writings by and on the police in South Africa
    (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2014) Van der Spuy, Elrena
    he occupational culture of police organisations has long fascinated policing scholars. In the Anglo- American world ethnographic enquiries have contributed much to our understanding of police perceptions, beliefs and actions. This article takes a closer look at efforts to describe and analyse police culture in South Africa. Three genres of writings are considered. Structural accounts of police culture and ethnographic accounts of the police are briefly discussed before turning to a more detailed consideration of a third and emerging genre: police autobiographies. Two recent autobiographies written by former policemen are explored in some detail with the view to considering the contribution of the autobiography to our understanding of the complex occupational dynamics of police and policing in South Africa.
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    Open Access
    Caregiver experiences of public services following child trauma exposure: a qualitative study
    (BioMed Central, 2018-04-10) Williamson, Victoria; Halligan, Sarah L; Coetzee, Bronwyne; Butler, Ian; Tomlinson, Mark; Skeen, Sarah; Stewart, Jackie
    Background: Many children in low and middle income countries (LMIC) are exposed to trauma. Contact with public services are a potential infuence on parent–child reactions and coping post-trauma. Little is known about how caregivers perceive these interactions. Methods: The aim of this study was to explore caregivers’ experiences of accessing and interacting with public services post-trauma and perceptions of needed improvements to public services in a LMIC context. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 female caregivers from a high-risk settlement in South Africa after child trauma exposure. Results: Three themes and seven sub-themes were identifed regarding caregivers’ perceptions of interactions with public services post-trauma. The key themes identifed related to (1) communication and exchanges with law enforcement, (2) consequences of an under-resourced justice system and (3) importance of communication and empathy in the healthcare system. Interactions with police were often positive. However, caregivers explained that police-family communication post-trauma could be improved and may help to lessen caregiver anxiety and concerns for the child’s safety post-trauma. Caregivers perceived the judicial system to be under-resourced as contact with the judicial system was often protracted and caused child anxiety and distress. Medical treatment was reportedly rushed, with extensive waiting times and little information provided to caregivers regarding the child’s injuries or treatment. Some medical staf were perceived as unsympathetic during the child’s treatment which was found to exacerbate caregiver and child distress post-trauma. Conclusions: This study provides insight into caregiver experiences of accessing public services following child trauma exposure in a high-risk LMIC context. Public services were perceived as oversubscribed and under-resourced and negative interactions often infuenced caregiver responses and appraisals of child safety. Given the impact of poor interactions with public services on families post-trauma, additional research is needed to investigate feasible improvements to public services in LMIC.
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    Open Access
    Gender differences in homicide of neonates, infants, and children under 5 y in South Africa: results from the cross-sectional 2009 National Child Homicide Study
    (Public Library of Science, 2016) Abrahams, Naeemah; Mathews, Shanaaz; Martin, Lorna J; Lombard, Carl; Nannan, Nadine; Jewkes, Rachel
    Jewkes and colleagues present a cross-sectional study that reveals levels of child homicide in South Africa. Identifying causes and vulnerable mothers will lead to prevention methods and strategies.