South Africa

Abstract

One of the important things to remember is that police do not cause crime. Crime is caused by various factors such as socio-economic conditions, number of young males in a population, drug abuse, availability of illegal firearms and breakdown of authority (family, school and churches). But police can limit crime by arresting perpetrators, getting repeat offenders convicted and through crime prevention. However, acts lawlessness, corruption and inefficiency of the police can contribute to the escalation of crime.