This website is an academic review of national legal regimes governing the use of force by law enforcement officials. It is managed by the Faculty of Law of the University of Johannesburg.
These law enforcement officials are not only the police but also border force personnel and the security forces engage in law enforcement tasks. Sometimes the law governing their ability to use force is contained in the national constitution, while in other instances it is in dedicated legislation or a general law. There may also be subsidiary regulations on specific weapons or tactics.
The website reports on each of the relevant laws and regulations for all 197 States recognized by the United Nations Secretary-General. The centrepiece of the website is these 197 country profiles. Each profile has five main sections:
Constitutional provisions
TREATY provisions
National legislation on use of force (by police and prison officers)
POLICE OVERSIGHT
CASELAW
At the end of each country profile, copies of key instruments and jurisprudence are available for download. There are also separate sections on international standards on the use of force by the police and a glossary of key terms.
The creation and management of the website
The website was created by the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria in 2017 under the auspices of Professor Christof Heyns. It was taken over in August 2024 by the Law Faculty of the University of Johannesburg.
For any queries concerning the content and management of the website please contact Stuart Casey-Maslen at: maslens(at)uj.ac.za.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The support of the Omega Research Foundation for the revision of the website is gratefully acknowledged. This website was also enabled by the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this site are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the positions of the European Union.
University of Pretoria
We would like to thank the following doctoral students at the University of Pretoria for their research in support of the repository: Alero Fenemigho, Dumisani Gandhi, Anne Ireri, Andries Moekoa, Brenda Mwale, Dagnachew B. Wakene, and Daniel Walyemera.
Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford
We would like to thank the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford for its help with research, and in particular Grace Attwell, Oya Aydin Göktaş, Ashleigh Barnes, Sameer Bhat, Alex Brunstad, Rachel Carroll, Amy Cox, Anshul Dalmia, Gayathree Devi, Alice Eccles, Amelia-Rose Edwards, Alvin Cheung, Jack Heron, Thomas Howard, Nadeen Ibrahim, Maryam Mohammed Jaafar, Charlotte Jung, Jasmine Kreutzer, Kay Howe Lee, Yijia Li, Gilbert Lim, Robert Marsh, Paula Martins Kurukawa, Sasha Martiyanov, Malik Neal, Ho Jan Pang, Alessandra Prezipiorski, Rebecca Reilly, Isabella Ruiz Dos Santos Miguel, Phyllis Sartison, Mohini Tangri, Tsvetelina Van Benthem, Raghavi Viswanath, Yen Jean Wee, and Erin Zhang.
Centre of Governance and Human Rights at the University of Cambridge
We would also like to thank the students who made up the research team convened by the Centre of Governance and Human Rights at the University of Cambridge, including the following individuals: Julie Balfour, Kaitlin Ball, Rumbidzai Dube, Catalina Fernández Carter, Daniela Guerra Cafoncelli, Rebekah Lyndon, Michele Martini, Ana Pecoraro, Tatiana Pignon, Mathilde Piret, Aarushi Sahore, and Kiara van Hout.
Centre for Law & Society at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU)
We would also like to thank the following students from the Centre for Law & Society at the Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar, India: Divisha Agarwal, Hemandu Aswal, Mansi Avashia, Disha Devadas, Hatim Hussain, Jalaj Jain, Aathma S. Kumar, Shivaang Maheshwari, Rishabh Manihar, Nalin Malhotra, Jayaditya Mallik, Samira Mathias, Soham Abir Mukhopadhyay, Anmol Rathore, Saumya Raval, Chaitra S., Yashika Sachdeva, Sanskriti Sanghi, Kuldeep Sheroan, and Keertana Venkatesh. The research is coordinated by Dr. Saurabh Anand, Centre Director, GNLU Centre for Law & Society.
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
We would also like to thank the following students at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights: Carolina Beghelli and Issa Hernandez Herrera.
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF)
We would also like to thank El Hadji Dia and Anne Bennett, Deputy Head, Sub-Saharan Africa Division, at the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).
