In 2019, for the first time, reports of corruption in the police force overtook those of other public sectors such as local government and health. Corruption Watch’s ‘Analysis of Corruption Trends 2019’ report showed that 9.2% of all whistleblower complaints were about the police, mainly regarding bribery (30.6%) and the abuse of power (35.7%). Statistics released by Corruption Watch (CW) in September 2020 show that police corruption was an increasing trend, growing to 13% of all complaints in the public sector.

Since inception in 2012, CW has placed innovation at the centre of its work, addressing systemic and pervasive corruption in South Africa.