Challenges experienced by South African police officers when taking statements from victims with a communication disability

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Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Institute for Security Studies

Abstract

Police officers increasingly come into contact with persons with a communication disability in their line of duty. This study describes the challenges officers face when taking statements from such victims. Focus group discussions were conducted with South African police officers. Findings showed that they face a myriad of challenges in the statement-taking process. These could be categorised under four main themes: the transactional nature of communication, lack of resources to support communication during statement-taking, the vulnerability of complainants with communication disabilities, and police pessimism. The article recommends that disability sensitivity training, as well as training on communication disability, be provided to police officers.

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Keywords

Police officers, Line of duty, Communication, Challenges

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG-03: Good health and well-being

Citation

Viljoen, E., Tonsing, K., Bornman, J. 2023, 'Challenges experienced by South African police officers when taking statements from victims with a communication disability', SA Crime Quarterly, no. 72, pp. 27-40. https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3108/2023/vn72a15490.