This article presents a literature overview which probes police and operational policies, relevant legislation and crowd management guidelines, in an effort to pin-point popular modern protest management practices in South Africa. The study adopts a discursive framework, with information gathered, categorized, plotted, critically considered and a line of reasoning developed. In order to verify the current status of Public Order Police(POP) in South Africa, a thorough study of all relevant legislature and working guidelines (including National Instructions, Standing Orders, SAPS strategic plans, etc.) has been piloted and the implications of these instruction documents examined. Firstly, notwithstanding the paucity of studies on service delivery complaints conducted or published between 1994 and 2000, this study shows a significant disparity among complaint management policies used within the trial organizations. Secondly, the studies that are available are narrative analyses of rally events and are not grounded in any hypothetical ideals or investigative philosophy. The author believes that this article will play an important role in shaping future government theory and therefore practices, and in contributing to an empirical measure of dissent. This will be of applied benefit to decision-makers at all levels.

Keywords : Policing of protests, crowd management, democratic policing, violence, formulative research into crowd management policy.