Public order transparency: Using freedom of information laws to analyse the policing of protest

Abstract

This article discusses two research projects that have used thePromotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to analyse protest inSouth Africa and the policing thereof. A total of 23 informationrequests were submitted on behalf of the two projects, 19 to the SouthAfrican Police Service ( SAPS) and four to the Independent PoliceInvestigative Directorate. The article starts by discussing policetransparency in South Africa, information on the policing of protestthat the SAPS routinely publishes in its annual report, the PAIAframework, and some of the limitations of the projects. It then focuseson insights into SAPS information on levels of protest andprotest-related violence in South Africa that emerged from the twoprojects. This includes information disclosed by the police regardingtheir use of force during protests, and police accountability for this.The article concludes by reflecting on the implications of and lessonsfrom these exercises in police transparency.