The role of the South African police and supportive local authorities in crime prevention in Mangaung, Bloemfontein, 1945-1976

Abstract

The alarming increase in crime numbers for juveniles and the continuous increase in the prison population after 1945 indicate that the South African penal system on its own was unable to solve the crime problem of South Africa.1 It is consequently
the aim of this article to determine to what extent the South African Police, stationed in the suburb of Batho in Mangaung, succeeded in providing sufficient and proper services to prevent crime and to protect the lives and property of the residents. To this end this article also aims to evaluate the direct involvement and co-operation rendered by other local authorities like the City Council of Bloemfontein and its relevant departments, the courts and the Union Department of Native Affairs, including the black community of Mangaung.