Gender-Responsive training is transforming policing in Western Cape communities in South Africa
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In the small farming town of Eendukuil, Western Cape, in the West Coast, where a team of just 33 police officers serves a population of about 8,000 people spread across a 701-square-kilometre area, something remarkable is happening. The way officers respond to gender-based violence is changing, and survivors are noticing.
"The police were very helpful," says a 43-year-old survivor who reported a case in December 2024. It's a sentiment echoed by multiple survivors, including a mother whose 16-year-old daughter was assaulted by her boyfriend. Despite it being a pay weekend when alcohol-fuelled incidents typically spike, the police response was swift. "They were quick to respond, even though it was a weekend," the mother recalls.
The transformation noticed did not just come about – it is the result of a pioneering gender-responsive policing programme launched by Ilitha Labantu, a South African women's rights organization, in partnership with UN Women South Africa, with funding from the government of Ireland.
An eye-opening experience for local police officials
Sergeant Ferial Smith and Sergeant Rodney Nel are among the officers who completed the training at Eendukuil Police Station. For Sergeant Nel, the course brought new understanding and perspective. "My eyes were really open when we did the training," he says, describing how the training taught him to create space for victims to feel comfortable rather than rushing through cases in a very short space of time.
"We learned that you must hold space for a victim. You must make a space for a victim so that the victim can be comfortable, calm," Nel explains. The training covered domestic violence, intimate partner violence, trauma-informed interviewing, and also importantly, mediation techniques that go beyond just opening criminal cases.
The programme, implemented across 75 police stations in the Western Cape, uses role-playing exercises to help officers understand what survivors experience. For Sergeant Smith, who works with victims in the station's Victim Friendly Room alongside community volunteers, these exercises brought the reality of secondary victimization to life.
"When you did the role play, you could actually imagine what the victim might be going through. During the exercise, I felt like I was actually being hurt and was just imagining what the actual victim might be going through," says Sergeant Smith.
The impact on the community is evident through the feedback of the locals. Between August 2023 and early 2024 Eendukuil Police Station typically received between 13 and 20 domestic violence incidents each month. By September 2024, following the training, that number had dropped to just three incidents. "Usually by this time, after the 15th of the month, we would have 10 incidents," Smith notes.
Officers attribute the reduction to increased community awareness campaigns, consistent follow-ups with both survivors and perpetrators, and a new approach that encourages survivors to get protection orders early. "We educate the community to come and report. (We say to them) Don't stay quiet because it's not going to stop," Smith says.
The station's staff demographic is also worth noting and may be contributing to the measurable impact. With women comprising 35% of the force, including the captain and the station commander, and at least one female officer on each of the four shifts, survivors feel more comfortable reporting cases of Gender-Based Violence. "Most of these types of cases are reported by women. They would rather speak to another lady," Smith adds.
"The results from Police Stations like Eendukuil prove that when we invest in training officers to respond to gender-based violence with empathy, understanding, and proper procedures, we don't just improve the reporting experience; this actually contributes to the reduction of violence. This survivor-centred approach needs to become the standard across South Africa," says Jennifer Francesca Acio, Programme Specialist for Ending Violence Against Women at UN Women South Africa.
When a community notices a positive change in policing
Survivors' testimonies confirm the change. A woman who obtained an interdict against her son just two weeks ago says simply: "The police are doing a good job, and they help us a lot." Another woman who opened a case in August for a restraining order reports: "From what I've experienced, the police were very helpful."
The officers themselves recognize there's still work to be done. Nel gives his colleagues "80%" rather than full marks, acknowledging gaps remain. But the shift in mindset is clear, and it translates into behavioural improvement. "The victim is very important. That is why I said the members in SAPS, I give them really 80%. I will not give them 100% because there are still gaps. But there is a big improvement."