APCOF is a network of African policing practitioners drawn from state and nonstate institutions. It is active in promoting police accountability through civilian oversight. It believes that the broad values behind establishment of civilian oversight is to assist in restoring public confi dence, develop a culture of human rights, integrity and transparency within the police, and promote good working relationships between the police and the community. It achieves its goal through raising awareness, sharing information on police oversight and providing technical assistance to civil society, the police and new and emerging oversight bodies in Africa. This audit provides insight into the diversity of police oversight on the African continent and the challenges it faces. Through this publication APCOF also seeks to highlight the importance of policing oversight in the ongoing efforts to build African police agencies into organisations that are effective and effi cient but also respectful of peoples' and human rights.