Police officials under the Constitution are responsible for upholding the law and protecting South African citizens. Applied Law for Police Officials aims to give police officials the knowledge and understanding that will equip them to do so. In order to investigate crime effectively and to gather evidence that will enable the prosecuting authorities to secure convictions after following due process of law, police officials must be familiar with the fundamental elements of criminal law, criminal procedure and the law of evidence. In Applied Law for Police Officials, these elements are explained and discussed in the context of a Constitution that endorses the importance of human rights.

This fifth edition of the textbook has been updated with the latest case law and is also enhanced to reflect the most recent attempts by Parliament to curb criminal behaviour. New topics, such as offences related to essential infrastructure, organised crime, human trafficking and cybercrime, have been introduced and are explained in a manner that is practical and will benefit police officials of all ranks and levels of experience.

• Introduction to South African law and criminal prosecution
• Policing powers and responsibilities
• General elements of an offence
• Inchoate crimes, participation and special forms of liability
• Crimes endangering the constitutional structures or the economy
• Crimes against the person
• Property crimes
• Crimes against the administration of justice
• Crimes against the community
• Overview of the criminal justice process
• Initiating the investigation
• Arrest, detention and the use of force
• Bail as a method of release
• General methods of obtaining evidence
• Alternative methods of obtaining evidence and information
• The law of evidence: An introduction
• Types of evidence
• Privilege
• Irrelevant and unreliable evidence
• Evaluating evidential material
• Addendum

• Police officials
• Justice officials
• Lecturers and students at police colleges
• Parties interested in policing