Expectations of, and satisfaction with, the South African police service in the North West Province

Purpose - The purpose of this paper was to assess the expectations of policing of citizens and police members in South Africa and to determine citizens' perceptions of the police. Design/methodology/approach - The paper shows a cross-sectional survey design was used. Stratified random samples of both the police (N = 677) and the community (N = 2,153) were taken in the North West Province of South Africa. The measuring battery for the community contained two sections, namely a section with biographical questions and items about contact with the police, neighbourhood concerns and confidence in the police, and a section about expectations. The measuring battery for police members also included two sections, namely a section with biographical questions, and a section with questions about their (police members') perceptions of the community's expectations. Findings - The paper finds that regarding community expectations, a principal component analysis with a direct oblimin rotation resulted in four internally consistent factors, namely crime prevention, crime investigation, control, and assistance. The results showed that members of the community and the police differ regarding perceptions of present policing priorities. Most police members reported that their performance in serving the community was good, while a total of 47 percent of community members who had contact with the police showed little confidence in the police, and 44 percent felt dissatisfied with the service they received from the police. Research limitations/implications - The paper researches the relationship between what the community expects of the police and the perception police members have of their functions in only one province in South Africa. More research into expectations in other provinces is needed. Originality/value - The results of this paper can be used as a baseline for future studies of the expectations of, and satisfaction with, the police in South Africa.