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THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
In South Africa, despite constitutional safeguards, research has shown Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ+) individuals who experience hate-related incidents based on their sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE) do not report their cases to the police...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Public Law
2023
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| _version_ | 1867614260129955840 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Sichinga, Daniel Lifuka |
| author2 | van der Spuy, Elrena |
| author_browse | Sichinga, Daniel Lifuka van der Spuy, Elrena |
| author_facet | van der Spuy, Elrena Sichinga, Daniel Lifuka |
| author_sort | Sichinga, Daniel Lifuka |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | In South Africa, despite constitutional safeguards, research has shown Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ+) individuals who experience hate-related incidents based on their sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE) do not report their cases to the police for fear of secondary victimisation. Much of the complaints against the police cite homophobic and heterosexist work cultures that leave victims feeling disenfranchised from accessing justice. While this may be the case, little to no research exists regarding the perceptions, experiences, and challenges faced by frontline police officers in policing LGBTQI+ hate crimes. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 30 police officers from five police stations in the Cape Metropole, South Africa, this research investigates the dynamics underlying the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes and the ways in which personal, institutional, and national cultural identities intersect. The research finds that police officers' perceptions of policing LGBTQI+ hate crimes are influenced by societal and institutional culture. Within these spaces, police officers are constantly negotiating parts of their identity to fit society and the SAPS' organisation cultural narratives. The research finds that discretion is central to how police officers conduct the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes. Discretion is observed in processes and how they define what constitutes criminality. The research further finds that the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes occur in spaces with limited resources. Resource constraints combined with burn-out and low morale negatively impact the SAPS service delivery standards. The research concludes with recommendations of a SOGIE-based hate crimes education for all, improving LGBTQI+-police relations through community liaisons and reducing police officers' stressors to improve employee wellbeing. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/37824 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:49:12.839Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Department of Public Law |
| publisherStr | Department of Public Law |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/37824 THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa Sichinga, Daniel Lifuka van der Spuy, Elrena LGBTQI+ hate crimes police culture discretion In South Africa, despite constitutional safeguards, research has shown Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ+) individuals who experience hate-related incidents based on their sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE) do not report their cases to the police for fear of secondary victimisation. Much of the complaints against the police cite homophobic and heterosexist work cultures that leave victims feeling disenfranchised from accessing justice. While this may be the case, little to no research exists regarding the perceptions, experiences, and challenges faced by frontline police officers in policing LGBTQI+ hate crimes. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 30 police officers from five police stations in the Cape Metropole, South Africa, this research investigates the dynamics underlying the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes and the ways in which personal, institutional, and national cultural identities intersect. The research finds that police officers' perceptions of policing LGBTQI+ hate crimes are influenced by societal and institutional culture. Within these spaces, police officers are constantly negotiating parts of their identity to fit society and the SAPS' organisation cultural narratives. The research finds that discretion is central to how police officers conduct the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes. Discretion is observed in processes and how they define what constitutes criminality. The research further finds that the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes occur in spaces with limited resources. Resource constraints combined with burn-out and low morale negatively impact the SAPS service delivery standards. The research concludes with recommendations of a SOGIE-based hate crimes education for all, improving LGBTQI+-police relations through community liaisons and reducing police officers' stressors to improve employee wellbeing. 2023-04-26T07:59:15Z 2023-04-26T07:59:15Z 2022 2023-04-26T07:58:57Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37824 eng application/pdf Department of Public Law Faculty of Law |
| spellingShingle | LGBTQI+ hate crimes police culture discretion Sichinga, Daniel Lifuka THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_full | THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_short | THE UNTOLD STORIES: An exploration of police views regarding the policing of LGBTQI+ hate crimes in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_sort | untold stories an exploration of police views regarding the policing of lgbtqi hate crimes in cape town western cape south africa |
| topic | LGBTQI+ hate crimes police culture discretion |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/37824 |
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