IPID

In a city as large and complex as Johannesburg, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate exists precisely because police accountability cannot be left only to police. IPID investigates deaths in police custody, discharge of police firearms, torture allegations, and corruption claims—the situations where public trust in law enforcement is most at stake. Johannesburg's size and diversity mean IPID fields complaints from every neighbourhood and community. The directorate's role reflects a reality in South Africa: police reform is ongoing, oversight matters, and ordinary people need a channel outside the police command structure to lodge serious complaints. Access, confidentiality, and follow-through shape whether people actually use the system. For many Johannesburg residents, knowing this office exists is part of understanding how accountability is supposed to work.