Department of Criminology and Security Science

Prof D Govender

College of Law
School of Criminal Justice
Department: Criminology and Security Science
Professor
Tel: 012 433 9482
E-mail: govend1@unisa.ac.za

Qualifications

  • DLitt et Phil (Doctorate in Criminology)

Currently teaching

  • SEP3707 -  Criminal Justice Research Methodology
  • SEP4805 -  Advanced Corporate Investigations IV

Fields of academic interests

  • Private Security
  • Policing
  • Criminal investigation
  • Private investigations
  • Research in criminal justice studies 

Field of Specialisation

  • Safety and Security in Society

Books

  • Managing Security Information. Incidents, Threats and Vulnerabilities. A practical approach for security practitioners serving private and government entities in South Africa. Pretoria. UNISA Press.

Book chapters

  • Policing Domestic Violence in South Africa: Pp 125-140. K Jaishankar (Editor).In Interpersonal Criminology: Revisiting Interpersonal Crimes and Victimization. Boca Raton: CRC Press
  • Community-Based Participatory Approach to Prevent Residential Burglaries and House Robberies. 2018. Pp 35-47. DS Peterson and D K Das (editors).Global Perspectives on Crime Prevention and Community Resilience.  International Police Executive Symposium. Boca Raton: Routledge.

Journal articles

  • Govender, D. 2018.Contact and Property Related Crimes in South Africa: Need for Strategies and Democratic policing. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS).  CRC Press, Taylor and Francis group, USA. No, 13 (1) January – June. Pp 55 to 67

  • Govender, D. 2018. Postgraduate supervisory relationship: Experiences at an open distance learning institution. International journal of Educational Sciences (IJES) accredited journal. No. 20, number 1-3 January, February, March.  Pp: 9 – 17

  • Govender, D. 2019. The use of the risk management model ISO 31000 by private security companies in South Africa. Security Journal.  Volume 32, (3), Pp 218–235

  • Govender, D. 2019. Police and Society : Emerging dimensions in South Africa. International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences (IJCJS).  CRC Press, Taylor and Francis group, USA. No, 14 (2) July – December  2019 Pp 376 to 391. ISSN: 0973-5089 ISSN:  

  • Govender, D. Reflections on community-based participation to reduce violent crimes in South Africa. Africa security Review, Edition 29 (4) , 2020, 316-329

  • Detective human resource development programme: An integrated approach for the South African Police Service. Servamus Police Journal. November 1996.13-14
  • Security Risk Management and Investigations. Servamus Police Journal. September 2013. 56-67
  • Designing Physical Protection Systems for the prevention of
  • House Robberies Servamus Police Journal, June 2013.   56-69
  • Digital Evidence in Criminal Investigations. Servamus Police Journal. June 2014. 25-26
  • A Conceptual analysis of strategies to combat organised crime in South Africa.Insight on Africa, No. 7(2), 2014: 1 to 17. African Studies Association of India. SagePublications.
  • Democratic policing and community policing: Is it a paradox? Servamus  Police     Journal. 2015. 34-36
  • Digital evidence in criminal investigations: A South African perspective. ACJUS Journal.2016. Published. Published in 1(2) of 2016. 29-36
  • The role of private security in crime prevention Servamus Police Journal. November 2017. 30-33
  • Security Risks in the Investigation of Crime. Co-publication by Prof D Govender, Mr Mahamabane, Mrs S Kader. Submitted to ACJUS (Just Africa). Published in 3(1) of 2017.

Paper presentations

  • Motives for Intra-familial murders within the South Africa Indian community. Paper presented at the Criminological & Victimological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA) Biennial Conference, Zevenwacht, Country Inn,  Kuils River, Western Cape.  21  September 2015.

  • Postgraduate Supervisory Relationship: Experiences at an open distance learning Institution. Paper presented at the 26th  ICDE World Conference, 13 to 16 October 2015.Theme: Growing capacities for sustainable distance e-learning provision. Sun City. North West Province, Gauteng, South Africa.

  • A Conceptual Analysis of Strategies to Reduce Violent Crimes in a Democracy: A South African Perspective. Paper presented at Third International Conference of the South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASVC) in India, Goa on 29 January 2016. Theme: State-sponsored violence and abuse of power

  • Dilemmas in Policing: A South African perspective. Paper presented at IPES. 21 August 2018. Vienna UN Convention Centre, Vienna , Austria.

  • Policing in South Africa: Is Decolonisation the answer to Democratic Policing? Paper presented at the Fourth International Conference of the South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASVC) in India, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar , Gujarat on 30 January 2020.

  • Crime in South Africa. Paper presented at the Global Crime Seminar. St Paul De Vence, France. October 1996
  • Crime Prevention in South Africa. Paper presented at the National Conference on Crime Prevention. Gaborone, Botswana. Hosted by the Botswana Government. February 1998
  • Crime Intelligence coordination in South Africa. Paper presented at the 20th Session of the Inter-state Defence and Security Conference. Hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Mbabane, Swaziland. March 1999
  • Crime overview in South Africa. Paper presented to the High Commissioner of South Africa and the High Commissioners personnel in Washington DC, USA. November 1999
  • Policing in the 21st Century. Paper presented at the International FBI re-trainer session. Hosted by FBI Middle East/Africa Chapter. Cape Town. April 2001
  • Crime information collection, analysis and utilisation. Paper presented at the 2nd World Conference on Modern Criminal Investigation, Organised Crime and Human Rights. Hosted by TechnikonSA, International Conference Centre (ICC), Durban, South Africa. 3-7 December 2001.
  • Police education and training in South Africa. Paper presented at the International Police Executive Symposium (IPES) Conference: Police Education and Training. Antalya, Turkey. 21-24 May 2002
  • Policing a changing society in South Africa: Challenges for the police officer. Paper presented at the Criminological & Victimological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA) Conference, UNISA, Pretoria. 29 August 2009.
  • Security in South Africa. Presented a paper at Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Perth, Western Australia. 16 May 2011.
  • Security Information (body of knowledge). Presented a paper at Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, and Perth, Western Australia. 18 May 2011
  • Reflections on the South African Police Service Strategic Leadership on violent crimes and policing in general. Paper presented at the Criminological & Victimological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA) Conference, UKZN, Kwa Zulu Natal. 28 September 2011.
  • Lessons learnt in the investigation of Organised Crime: South Africa. Paper presented at international conference on Organised Crime and other Criminal Justice issues in Africa: Limpopo. 28 June 2012
  • Policing Domestic Violence in South Africa. Paper presented at Second International Conference of the South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASVC) in India, Kanyikumari on 12  January 2013.
  • Security Information Management. Paper presented at the Criminological & Victimological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA) Conference, St Georges Hotel, Pretoria, Gauteng 17 September 2013.
  • Generating new theories in Criminal Justice Research for 21 Century societies. Paper presented at the Criminological & Victimological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA) Conference, St Georges Hotel, Pretoria, Gauteng  19  September 2013.
  • Innovations for Policing Domestic Violence in South Africa. Paper presented at the 51st Association of Woman Police (IAWP) International Training Conference at ICC Durban,KZNatal  from 25 to 27  September 2013
  • International terrorism and human trafficking: Its effects on Africa’s Development  Africa Security Awards and Lecturer Series: Delivered keynote Chairperson's address at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Sandton on 6 November 2013.
  • Community-based participatory approach to prevent residential burglaries and house robberies. Paper presented at the International Police Executive Symposium (IPES) 25th Annual Meeting, Sofia, Bulgaria – July 27-31, 2014. Theme: “Crime Prevention & Community Resilience: Police Role with Victims, Youth, Ethnic Minorities and Other Partners
  • Motives for Intra-familial murders within the South Africa Indian community. Paper presented at the Criminological & Victimological Society of Southern Africa (CRIMSA) Biennial Conference, Zevenwacht, Country Inn,  Kuils River, Western Cape.  21  September 2015.
  • Postgraduate Supervisory Relationship: Experiences at an open distance learning Institution. Paper presented at the 26th  ICDE World Conference, 13 to 16 October 2015.Theme: Growing capacities for sustainable distance e-learning provision. Sun City. North West Province, Gauteng, South Africa.
  • A Conceptual Analysis of Strategies to Reduce Violent Crimes in a Democracy: A South African Perspective. Paper presented at Third International Conference of the South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology (SASVC) in India, Goa on 29 January 2016. Theme: State-sponsored violence and abuse of power
  • Dilemmas in Policing: A South African perspective. Paper presented at IPES. 21 August 2018. Vienna UN Convention Centre, Vienna, Austria.

National Conferences

Money laundering in South Africa. Paper presented to the National Money Laundering Conference hosted by KPMG at the St Georges Conference Centre in Pretoria, South Africa. July 1996

Currency counterfeiting in South Africa. Paper presented at the South African Reserve Bank Conference on Counterfeiting. Conference hosted by the Governor of the Reserve Bank (Mr Tito Mboweni). Pretoria, South Africa. August 1999

Overview on the workings of the FBI National Academy Association for the Middle East and African Chapter. Paper presented to the Legal Attaché from the American Embassy and to members of the FBI association at the Detective and Crime intelligence Academy, Silverton, Pretoria. August 2001

Threat and Risk Assessments. Paper presented to the Africa Security Officers Summit, Rosebank Crown Plaza, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2012-07-12.

Organised Crime Investigations at Police Station Level. Presented paper at the Institute for Security Studies , Brooklyn. 2012-07-19.

Employee theft in the workplace. Paper presented to the Corporate Security Management Africa Conference 2013. 14 March 2013. Southern Sun Hotel, Katherine Street, Sandton , Johannesburg, south Africa.

Security Information Management. Paper presented to the Corporate Security Management Africa Conference 2013. 14 March 2013. Southern Sun Hotel, Katherine Street, Sandton , Johannesburg, south Africa.

Physical protection systems to prevent house robberies. Paper presented to the.  Security Industry practitioners at IFSEC security Expo. 20 June 2013. Gallagher Conference Centre, Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.   

A conceptual analysis of strategies to combat organised crime in South Africa. Key note speaker paper presented at Ist Managing Organised Crime in Africa Conference.Theme: Investigate, Expose and Prosecute Transnational Organised Crime. Date: 13 & 14 August 2014 Venue: Gallagher Estate, Midrand.

State of Violent Crime in South Africa post 1994.Paper presented at Agricultural Society Centre at a Public Meeting in Hatfield Pretoria on 16 October 2014.Theme: Community Policing.

Managing security incidents in the security Industry. Paper presented at the Security Management Updating Seminar at UNISA on 19 September 2014. Theme: Contemporary issues in Security management.

State of Violent Crime in Post 1994  South Africa: Seminar on Public safety and Crime Prevention.05 November 2014.The Maharani Hotel, Kwa Zulu Natal.

Strategies to combat Organised Crime at Police Station Level. Presented paper at the Institute for Security Studies , Brooklyn. 25 August 2015.

A Conceptual Analysis of Strategies to Reduce Violent Crimes in a Democracy. Theme: Community Policing.Paper presented at Agricultural Society Centre at a Public Meeting in Hatfield Pretoria on 19 October 2015.

Strategies for Public Order Policing in South Africa: Theme: First Annual Risk Management Conference.Paper presented at Premier Hotel Midrand, Johannesburg. 13 May 2016.

Strategies to Reduce Violent Crimes in a Democracy: Theme: Public Safety,

Crime Prevention and Safer Communities Conference 2016. Paper presented at the Southern Sun Hotel, Elangeni, Durban, KZN on 26 May 2016.\

Theory and Practice in Security Risk Management to Heads of Security: Government Departments South Africa, 22 July 2016, St Georges Conference Centre.

Critical Analysis of private Security Companies Involvement in Crime Prevention.

Theme: Towards an ideal and suitable policing model for the South African Police Service. Paper presented at Plenary session at the Interntaional Conference Centre : CSIR. Pretoria. 7 -9 February 2017.   

Professional positions, fellowships & awards

  • Editor of Acta Criminologica
  • Member of the editorial board of CRIMSA
  • Member of the editorial board of POLSA
  • Member of the editorial board of Naïf Arab University for Security Science ( NAUSS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Former Governor of SAIS
  • SABS committee member

  • CRIMSA award 2009 for best paper publication in accredited journal of Criminology
  • NRF award in 2017

Projects

  • An evaluation of the pluralisation of street policing in South Africa.

Other

  • NRF Project: Safety and Security in Society

Prof Govender reviews articles for both national and International journals. Furthermore, Prof Govender supervises Masters and Doctorate students. To date, several students have successfully completed their qualifications.