With South Africa currently ranked as one of the countries with the highest crime index in Africa, there is a growing concern for initiatives to fight the growing surge in crime. In efforts to address this, JSE-listed higher education provider, STADIO, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.
The partnership will see the two entities collaborating in the development of academic programmes, as well as joint research activities, funding applications and exchange opportunities for faculty and students.
Jeanette Smit, Head of STADIO’s School for Policing & Law Enforcement explains that “the aim is to forge stronger connections and expand knowledge and research in select areas of higher learning for STADIO’s law and policing students.”
“The University of Portsmouth’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice was founded in 1992 and has grown to become the largest criminology department in the UK. It’s internationally recognised for its study of crime, its causes, and the societal and personal impact that it has,” Smit says.
Research has shown that one of the factors that contribute to crime can be linked to the fact that students often join the law and criminology industries with little interest and knowledge in the field. “We believe our partnership will provide STADIO students with better exposure to international practices and professionals in the field of policing. We plan to exchange study material and identify areas where our learning outcomes intersect,” states Smit.
According to Smit, the UK and SA police systems and landscapes are different, but linked by historical ties, shared principles, and mutual interest in addressing contemporary policing challenges. “Both countries have exchanged expertise, strategies, and training programmes, fostering a collaborative approach to law enforcement that benefits from comparative analysis and best practices exchange,” she says.
Initially, exchange opportunities will be offered to STADIO’s postgraduate policing and law students, specifically those pursuing Doctorate and Master’s degrees.
Additionally, a co-hosted seminar (envisioned as the first of several such events) will be delivered online on 11 July, where each institution will provide one local and one international speaker to provide a perspective on their specific country’s policing environment.
“International partnerships acknowledge the contribution that STADIO can make on a global level,” she says. “They create opportunities for not only our students but also our staff. We look forward to what this partnership with the University of Portsmouth will deliver in terms of policing best practices and solutions that ultimately help us to improve society.”
