But then again, with the visible policing and security companies around now... much safer.
Is it like a police state, or did they find a middle ground?
Not at all. The police have a lot less power than back in the apartheid days, and people have a lot more rights. Even the name changed from "South African Police Force" to "South African Police Service".
But I think there's a huge impact made by the introduction of a City Police in Cape Town, (even though they look like penguins in their garb) and there's a lot of patrolling going on. Also, there's community policing like neighbourhood watch schemes, and a lot of budding security companies around.
I think there's a lot to be said for visible policing - criminals have to be a lot more careful in their choices now, as they can never know when a cop is going to pop his head around the corner and catch him in the act!
