Ch. 1. A criminal state -- The crime of apartheid -- Youth and crime -- Apartheid as crime prevention -- Crime and the decline of apartheid -- Ch. 2. The politics of police change -- Negotiating a new police -- Legitimacy first, all else will follow -- Partners in crime -- New issue, new agenda? -- Ch. 3. Confronting the violent society -- Counting the cost -- Unequal victimisation -- Comparisons and characteristics -- A nation in need of healing -- Ch. 4. The rise of organised crime -- Connections and continuities -- New democracy, unsafe neighbourhood -- Conflict and crime -- New and stronger players -- A criminal future? -- Ch. 5. Public reactions to insecurity -- A battle of perceptions -- Divided by fear -- Ourselves alone? -- Ch. 6. The impact of private policing -- The security boom -- A contracted divide -- A new reality? -- Ch. 7. Assessing state responses -- Local policing and accountability -- Paper promises? -- The new police -- Judging success.

Ch. 8. Conclusion: options and prospects -- Towards democratic policing -- Designing a new safety system -- Undercutting crime and its causes -- Crime and democracy.