South African Police Service

The South African Police Service, commonly abbreviated SAPS, is South Africa's national police force, established in 1995 in the transition following the end of apartheid, succeeding the former South African Police and the separate police forces the apartheid era homelands had maintained. Under South Africa's constitution, SAPS is responsible for preventing and investigating crime, maintaining public order, and protecting people and property, with a stated mandate to help create a safe and secure environment and to address the underlying causes of crime rather than simply responding to it. The service is organized hierarchically under a National Commissioner, with nine Provincial Commissioners overseeing operations in their respective provinces across more than a thousand police stations nationwide, and it is divided into operational divisions covering visible policing, detective work, crime intelligence, forensic science and protection services. As South Africa's sole national police force, SAPS combines roles that some countries divide between separate federal and municipal police agencies.