South Africa's Incident Registration Information System (IRIS): Its use and abuse in protest analysis

Authors

  • Peter Alexander Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
  • Carin Runciman Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
  • Boitumelo Maruping Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/2413-3108/2016/i58a1513

Keywords:

protest, IRIS, police data, protest event analysis

Abstract

South Africa’s Incident Registration Information System (IRIS) is a comprehensive, computerised database maintained by the South African Police Service (SAPS). In principle, it records all public order policing activity including all crowd incidents. While IRIS data is, potentially, a unique source for protest event analysis, considerable care is required. We aim to correct misunderstandings about the data advanced by academics and in the media, and expose its misuse by police chiefs and politicians. In particular, the incidents that IRIS reports are not protests, though protests can be found in the raw data. This article is based, in part, on records of 156,230 incidents covering the period 1997-2013.

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Author Biographies

  • Peter Alexander, Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
    Professor of sociology at the Univeristy of Johannesburg, Director for the Centre for Social Change and holds the DST/NRF South African Research Chair in Social Change.
  • Carin Runciman, Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
    Senior Researcher, Centre for Social Change
  • Boitumelo Maruping, Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg
    Senior Research Assistant, Centre for Social Change, University of Johannesburg.

References

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Peter Alexander, Carin Runciman and Boitumelo Maruping, South African Police Service (SAPS) Data on crowd incidents: a preliminary analysis. Johannesburg: Social Change Research Unit, University of Johannesburg, 2015;

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Additional Files

Published

2016-12-14

Issue

No. 58 (2016): December 2016

Section

Research articles

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