Managing The Managers - South African Police Service Station Commissioners In Dire Straits
Sub-standard police work and poor investigations have been the cause of much frustration - to the South African public at large and victims of crime in particular.
Sub-standard police work and poor investigations have been the cause of much frustration - to the South African public at large and victims of crime in particular. This is evident from a series of studies and from reports and articles in the South Africa media. Perhaps the most damning is the 2007 report of the Policy Advisory Council appointed by then police commissioner Jackie Selebi, which reveals the severity of the problem.
While the SAPS are found wanting in many regards - at all levels of policing, according to the report - of most concern is management at station level. Some of the challenges cited include; a lack of proper command and control, poor guidance and support to members, lack of experience and skills of managers, no commitment and dedication to the job, inadequate inspections and poor discipline. Mediocre management at stations impacts upon the various disciplines of policing: crime combating, crime information and intelligence gathering, operational planning, investigations and detection, as well as evidence collection and management of exhibits. This in turn affects the efficacy of policing and ultimately service delivery to communities.
This then begs the question on the method employed in appointing station managers. What criteria determine the suitability of an officer to administer a police station in an area with incredibly high levels of crime? Is it a simple matter of promotions or is it having acquired the necessary skills over time that allows them this pivotal position?
In all fairness, many managers have performed commendably and made positive inroads at stations serving their communities - this despite having to face constraints reflecting directly on their performance. Lack of proper resources, organisational restructurings, wrongly placed members and a lack of clear policy directives in terms of structure, equipment, deployment strategy, training and command and control, are among other challenges confronting managers. In addition crime prevention, a function beyond the realm of policing, has become the order of the day for the police, despite it being an integrated government function.
Many positive recommendations were proposed by the Policy Advisory Council’s report. This includes, among others, training and development for managers of stations and training for members on facets relating to crime combating and service delivery.
Three years ago, the SAPS Training Division begun developing new, SAQA accredited, training courses to address broader policing issues – many befitting those proposed by the Council. In 2008, the Division further announced a massive re-training programme for the entire service - from basic skills to management courses. A 360° electronic skills audit of individual members is initially undertaken which serves to identify gaps in members’ profiles. Following this, the appropriate training is undertaken.
For station commissioners, a new training course addressing key aspects of station commissioner’s responsibilities, the Station Management Learning Programme, was developed and has been in use for the last two years. Thus far all 1124 station commissioners in the country have undergone the training.
Similarly, for station members within each subsection, appropriate training in crime intelligence, crime prevention, detection, Criminal Record Centre, operational and tactical (shooting and street survival) and protection services has been ongoing. In 2007/08 a total of 47029 members were provided the training and 96% were found competent.
The training division initiatives appear concrete and progressive but there is a concern that follow-up at stations will not happen. Members require regular in-service training and mentoring by peers for the formal training to achieve the desired result. Regular inspections by the provincial and national police departments must be undertaken and station managers must be held accountable for poor performance. Most importantly, the criteria used to appoint managers must be reviewed.
While a long time in coming, the audit of the Policy Advisory Council as well as the rigorous re-training programme is a step in the right direction. According to the Divisional Commissioner of the Training, “the intention is to professionalise policing in the country and this will be possible within the next five years”.
Bilkis Omar, Researcher, Crime, Justice and Politics Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)
