Action Learning Pilot Programme

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Action Learning Pilot Programme

• Project Khaedu
• SAPS KaNyamazane - preliminary findings

4 March 2005 Moki J, Cunningham WD, Sanyane SS,
Zwane N, Bezuidenhout W
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Current situation what weve seen and heard
Process and physical
Organisation design
People management
Financial and procurement

• Large back-log of dockets
• 4,600 outstanding
• Dockets distributed unevenly with many more
  ending up with junior detectives (308 in one
  case)
• Vehicle allocation is uneven between functions
  with no allocation to detectives after hours
• Resources not mapped to crime statistics or
  typical crime patterns e.g. weekends (80 of
  crime in one area)
• Restricted hours for support services limits
  citizen service

• No manager in charge of support services
  resulting in the Station Commander becoming
  burdened with non-critical issues
• Administration support services often headed by
  captains with only 2-3 direct reports
• At any one time only 8 police (4 vehicles) are
  actually visibly patrolling, out of a total
  complement of 203
• Multi-agency mechanism not functioning

• Fully resourced station with only 6 vacancies
  out of a complement of 217
• One-third of new detectives have very little or
  no training (approximately 2 weeks)
• Poor discipline and workplace employee assistance
• Staff with alcohol abuse are not being supported
  through EAP
• AWOL high with commanders often covering for
  absent staff
• SAPS national guidelines not followed with sick
  leave

• Wrong vehicles provided, given the state of the
  roads in the area

Except to those on standby Majority of
resources at KaNyamazane mother station
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The station commissioner has too many direct
reports
Station Commissioner
Visible policing
Functional policing duties
Community Service Centre
Detective Service
CIAC
Logistics
Financial Services
Administration Services
Support Services
Communication Services
HRM
Management Information
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Customers are unhappy with response times and
general service
1 Very unhappy with service level 5 Very
happy with service level
Source PSW questionnaires, Nov 2004
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Complications

• Senior management time is heavily consumed in
  meetings and workshops (many of which seem to be
  unproductive or taking the time of all managers
  where only some of the managers are really
  needed)
• Senior time is not dedicated to critical line
  roles e.g. docket inspection leading to
  significant backlogs
• Skills development planning appears weak
• A numbers game instead of focusing on real
  operational needs
• Crime statistics are not actively used to manage
  and allocate resources

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Docket backlogs are a problem and were growing
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however it is clear that active management can
reduce this
8
but senior (experienced) line management spend
significant time in meetings
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Many dockets should not be being pursued if
senior management time is invested up front
ESTIMATED
Approximate
10
The docket backlog inevitably results in few
cases being successfully investigated through to
court
11
and the actual conviction rate is low (lt10)
12
If the real criminal cases were focused on,
actual cases per detective would drop dramatically
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Vehicles supplied are inappropriate to needs
80 of roads are un-tarred and impassable except
by 4x4 in rainy conditions and we dont have any
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The allocated vehicles are unsuitable
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for the environment
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for the environment
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leading to frequent damage and breakdowns
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Suggested Actions

• Institute a Crime office manned by a senior
  officer to screen dockets for harassment and
  unactionable before sending to detectives
• Reduce meeting load on senior staff and focus on
  core functions e.g. docket inspections
• Establish as per national directive for FCS units
  to deal with child abuse, sexual offences and
  domestic violence issues as this will decrease
  workload of station by approximately 20
• Engage with roads and housing agencies to
  formalise the rural and informal areas to
  provide road and address demarcation
• Replace some existing vehicles with 4X4s even if
  this reduces the total number available
• With the freed up time of staff, invest heavily
  in
• More visible policing in high crime areas and at
  weekends (all officers should patrol during the
  month irrespective of function or seniority)
• Extending hours to provide better services to
  citizens
• Capacity building, particularly for detectives
• Allocate resources by crime statistics and need