This study of policing in Durban, finds that, in keeping with the representative elections in 1994 that led to a new, more democratic political dispensation in South Africa, policing has become more tolerant and democratic. However, some repressive, authoritarian, and violent responses to the public still occur. In the context of the transition to democratic governance, this paper reviews the conduct of the Public Order Police (POP), a unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Observations of the unit and interviews with members of all ranks demonstrate that significant change in police responses toward the public has taken place, but sometimes members of the unit repeat past behavior despite organizational reform processes. Drawing on the work of Janet Chan, this resistance to change is explained in terms of deeply held assumptions, attitudes, and values.
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