Bongiwe M. Zulu’s scientific contributions

The National Development Plan (NDP) recognises that crime and violence is not just a security issue, but it is multi-faceted and has deep social and economic roots and consequences. Addressing these cannot be seen as the mandate of the criminal justice system alone, but rather requires the involvement of all government departments, particularly those within the social and economic clusters (National Development Plan, Vision 2030). This chapter wanted to analyse how the South African Police Service (SAPS) was implementing the NDP Vision 2030 in building safer communities. In addition, it examined the attitudes and perceptions of actors and implementers regarding the NDP implementation within the SAPS. It further examined the challenges the SAPS experienced and the progress it made in implementing the five priority areas for building safer communities. The study adopted a mixed methodology as both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed. Literature and document analysis and reviews were conducted. The raw data gathered from the quantitative approach were captured on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) system and recorded. The data gathered from the qualitative approach were grouped, categorised, and themed. Eventually, they were analysed and interpreted. The findings of the study confirmed that the NDP was not without deep-rooted crises and factors influencing policy implementation in SA. These crises included failure to translate policies into long-term plans and a lack of planning systems and competencies to implement policies. There were many legislative, policy, and strategic response trajectories towards building safer communities in place, but there was a lack of institutionalisation, monitoring and evaluation of their impact on community safety.KeywordsCommunity safetyCriminal justice systemCrime preventionCommunity policingNational Development PlanPolicy implementation