The Criminal Justice and Policy Unit is an amalgamation of the two. David Bruce, a Senior Researcher in the Criminal Justice and Policy Unit, admitted that the human rights-related focus on policing is relatively new. When the major body of CSVR research was done, the United States was seen as a potentially useful source of information on police brutality. The abuse of power by the police in South Africa is vast. However, in this research the CSVR has identified two primary abuses of power by the police, namely, corruption and police brutality.
Corruption is motivated by personal gain and self-interest.
It is a form of criminality, and a narrow definition or form of human rights abuse. On the other hand, police brutality is seen as more diverse. Sometimes it can be caused by over-zealous police officers, like in the recent police swoops in the Johannesburg township of Hillbrow and other areas. Death in custody is another form of police brutality. In this context, brutality can be defined as unlawful police action.