ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is on the colonial foundations and legacies of contemporary policing in Africa, and the consideration of policies and strategies necessary for decolonizing policing in the region. Using examples from South Africa and Zimbabwe as case studies, this chapter examines historical and contemporary issues in African policing. The chapter has three aims: first, to chart the historical development of the state police and police powers; second, to examine the continuities of this historic legacy in contemporary issues in African policing; and third, to consider Indigenous bottom-up approaches and community policing initiatives in Southern African communities, and to reflect on the long history of localized non-state safety governance in the region. The chapter is a further recommendation for nurturing alternatives for policing and using these alternatives to understand the prevailing needs of modern African communities.
