Plural policing in crisis

Plural policing in crisis: inclusive security provision in violent and unequal societies

There is a growing acceptance that attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 of ‘peaceful and inclusive’ societies in the Global South is contingent on recognising and harnessing the plurality of security provision. Yet, comparatively speaking, there remains a deficit in knowledge on plural policing in the face of complexity, deficit, and crisis. There remains a gap, too, between the normative ideal of inclusive plural security formations and the operational realities of achieving this. This chapter reflects on the impact of crises on plural policing provision through considering the context of the Western Cape Province, South Africa, from 2011 to 2020, a period characterised by a poly-crisis. Through focusing on state attempts to deliberately craft and promote plurality, it will reflect on crises not as the backdrop to plurality but as a formative component of it and the difficulties of constructing and operationalising democratic and effective plural policing in the Global South.